Current exhibitions

VEXI SALMI AND FRIENDS – selected works from the Vexi Salmi Art Collection

25 November 2022 – 22 October 2023

Finnish lyricist, record producer and author Veikko Olavi “Vexi” Salmi (21 September 1942, Hämeenlinna–8 September 2020, Helsinki) amassed a significant art collection during his lifetime. In 2010, he and his partner Katri Wanner-Salmi donated the collection to the city where he was born and to the city’s art museum. The 21st of September 2022 marked the 80th anniversary of Vexi Salmi’s birth. Hämeenlinna Art Museum has chosen to celebrate this occasion with a memorial exhibition featuring an extensive selection of works from the Vexi Salmi and Katri Wanner-Salmi collection.

ON ALL FOURS – Expressing Babyhood

15 November 2022 – 22 October 2023

Aimed at babies and their families, ON ALL FOURS – EXPRESSING BABYHOOD invites hands-on exploration. An immersive site-specific work, it is accessible through a door designed especially for babies. This artwork has been designed and created by artists working at the Pori Centre for Children’s Culture Kruunupää. They all have a long track record of working with young children. 

TURNING POINT – Finnish book covers from the 1950s and 1960s and the art these decades inspired

14 October 2022 – 30 April 2023

Turning Point is dedicated to exploring Finnish book cover design from the 1950s and 1960s and the relationship between book covers and fine art. It focuses primarily on cover designs created by Ahti Lavonen (1928-1970), better known for his work as an artist, and graphic designer Martti Mykkänen (1926-2008). Their distinct perspectives on the era, and on book art, provide a complementary insight into the topic. A further dimension to the exhibition is added by bibliophilic contemporary art: Panu Rytkönen’s (born 1983) sculpture draws its inspiration from Finnish books from the 1950s and 1960s and the authors’ dedications that appear in them.