The year kicks off with a burst of colours and patterns, as the Draped – Art of Printed Fabrics exhibition envelops EMMA’s exhibition space in printed textiles created in Finland from the 1930s until today. This exhibition highlights the artistic significance of textiles well-established in the canon of design history: they are the craftwork of extraordinary artists whose creations have entered people’s homes through printed fabrics. At EMMA, the textiles are placed in dialogue with the Bryk & Wirkkala Visible Storage surrounding the exhibition space.

The meanings of textiles and other materials in visual art take centre stage in the first major museum exhibition of Karin Hellman (1915–2004), based on the Collection Hellman donated to EMMA. Hellman was one of Finland’s most notable collage artists. In her hands, any material could gain a new life. She incorporated recycled textiles, everyday objects, and found natural materials into her works, broadening the Finnish art world’s perception of visual art with her open-minded approach. Hellman’s work can be linked to the Arte Povera movement of the 1960s, which is explored in a neighbouring group exhibition opening at the same time.

Arte Povera – A New Chapter examines how women artists have shaped the legacy of the Italian Arte Povera movement. Arte Povera – literally “poor art” – refers to the use of humble, everyday and discarded materials. Rather than polished aesthetics, the movement emphasised creative processes, intentional unfinishedness, and spontaneity. This exhibition at EMMA opens a new chapter in the history of Arte Povera by approaching the movement through the work of international women artists from modernism to the present. Featuring over 70 works, the exhibition includes pieces by Eva Hesse, Kaarina Kaikkonen, Marisa Merz and Nancy Spero.

The spring season culminates in Social Fabric, an exhibition that highlights current discussions in fashion in an immersive way. The exhibition takes a multidisciplinary approach to fashion’s social and cultural phenomena, showcasing works ranging from garments to sculptures and video. Social Fabric is part of a series of fashion exhibitions held across the Nordic countries, curated by Ane Lynge-Jorlén from the Danish fashion platform ALPHA. The exhibition further deepens EMMA’s collaboration with Department of Fashion at Aalto University.

In the autumn, visitors are invited to stroll among chiming trees, courtesy of Antti Laitinen’s (b. 1975) installation for EMMA. Laitinen is the eighth artist in the InCollection exhibition series, where a commissioned work for the Saastamoinen Foundation’s collection becomes the centrepiece of an exhibition at EMMA. As typical of Laitinen’s work, this exhibition explores the relationship between humans and nature, and the passage of time, using elements of absurd humour. The artist creates a forest made of wood collected from Finnish forests, engaging multiple senses within an otherwise clinically white gallery space.

A newly curated section also opens in Dialogues, an exhibition showcasing works from the Saastamoinen Foundation’s collection. Additionally, the 2025 programme will feature two new media art acquisitions: Dolle (2023) by Italian artist Diego Marconi, and The Genealogy of Violence (2023) by French-Algerian artist Mohamed Bourouissa.

Children’s Museum Festival
The much-loved weekend event for young museum visitors will once again fill the museums of Tapiola with festive cheer in March 2025. Inspired by art, architecture and history, the Children’s Museum Festival offers family-friendly workshops, performances, music and more.