EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026

“The coming year perfectly encapsulates EMMA’s past, present and future by underscoring its enduring commitment to artists and designers from Finland and beyond”, says EMMA’s new director Krist Gruijthuijsen. 

Opening in March, the exhibition In Search of the Present is the third edition of the museum’s recurring exhibition concept exploring key phenomena and questions of our time. This year’s edition is an exploration of the now, an invitation to be present both in time and in place. Spatial and multisensory installations will transform EMMA’s galleries into places for quiet presence and contemplation, in which notions around belonging and rootlessness are brought into focus.

In Search of the Present includes works by Marina Abramović, Haruka Kashima, Kimsooja, Tarik Kiswanson, Germaine Kruip, Ken Matsubara, Lydia Ourahmane, Helen Pashgian, Charlie Prodger, Jani-Matti Salo, Danh Võ, WAUHAUS x TTK (Nurture), Ian Wilson,and Maaria Wirkkala.

Recipient of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Prize, artist and filmmaker Axel Straschnoy (b. 1978, Buenos Aires) will create a spatial installation, inspired by his long-standing interest in space science and its cultural resonances. His exhibition examines Posadism, a marginal leftist movement that emerged in 1960s Argentina, merging political theory with space-age utopianism. Straschnoy’s project invites audiences to imagine alternative futures and expand the boundaries of collective imagination in a time of global uncertainty.

Autumn 2026 will see the long-awaited retrospective of Howard Smith (1928, New Jersey – 2021, Fiskars), celebrating the extraordinary range of the artist’s work. Born in New Jersey and based in Finland for most of his career, Smith’s inquisitive and experimental approach to materials and techniques resulted in a remarkably diverse practice spanning ceramics, textiles, graphics, painting and sculpture. The exhibition offers new insights into Smith’s life and work, and his lasting contribution to Finnish modernism.

In the Collection Kakkonen gallery, which showcases Finnish glass and ceramics from the collection of Kyösti Kakkonen, EMMA will present the first-ever museum exhibition dedicated to Gerda Thesleff (1871–1939). A pioneer of Finnish ceramic art, Thesleff developed a distinctive hand-painted style that set her apart from her contemporaries. Her wheel-thrown vessels, often depict landscapes and motifs inspired by her travels in Tuscany with her sister, artist Ellen Thesleff. The exhibition is curated by ceramic artist Åsa Hellman and art historian Dr. Hanna-Reetta Schreck. 

As part of the celebrations, the Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection, which forms one of the foundations of EMMA, will be newly presented and curated by director Krist Gruijthuijsen.

In addition to its exhibitions, EMMA’s anniversary year will feature a year-round programme of events created in collaboration with diverse communities and partner organisations. The highlight of the celebrations, the Children’s Museum Festival, will transform Exhibition Centre WeeGee and Leikki – the Museum of Play into a multi-day birthday event for the whole family. The festival programme, co-created with multicultural families from Espoo, will offer shared experiences and moments of joy through art and culture. 

We extend our warmest thanks to our partners: Collection Kakkonen, the City of Espoo, Saastamoinen Foundation, and the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation. Our warm thanks also go to the supporters of In Search of the Present: LocalTapiola whose donation enables the realisation of Helen Pashgian’s work, and the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, whose support makes Kimsooja’s installation possible.

Exhibitions in 2026 

In Search of the Present –– 13 March 2026 – 7 February 2027 
Axel Straschnoy –– 15 April – 9 August 2026 
Howard Smith –– 9 September 2026 – 7 February 2027 
Gerda Thesleff –– 25 November 2026 – 26 November 2028 

Continuing from 2025 

Karin Hellman –– until 1 February 2026 
Arte Povera – A New Chapter –– until 1 February 2026 
InCollection | Antti Laitinen: Chiming Forest –– until 23 August 2026 
Draped – Art of Printed Fabrics –– through 2026 

Collection Exhibitions 

Collection Kakkonen 
Bryk & Wirkkala Visible Storage
Saastamoinen Foundation Art Collection –– new display in the Autumn of 2026