New architecture and several exhibitions make Mänttä a must-see destination for contemporary art lovers
This week will see the opening of a new museum building in Mänttä, Central Finland. The pavilion is a result of the largest ever architectural competition organised in Finland. A total of 579 entries from Finland and abroad were submitted. The jury selected MX_SI architectural studio’s proposal Parallels as the winner. The design is by architects Boris Bezan, Héctor Mendoza and Mara Partida.
The extension triples the exhibition space of the original Gösta Museum of the Serlachius Museums, based on the heritage of the Serlachius family. “We wanted to honour the Finnish forest and the traditions of the Serlachius family in Finnish paper industry. Therefore wood was a natural choice of material”, says Héctor Mendoza.
The first exhibitions in the pavilion include a new four-channel installation, Studies on the Ecology of Drama 1, by Eija-Liisa Ahtila.
The opening of the Gösta extension in Mänttä paves way to other major architectural developments in the Finnish art scene. With the Guggenheim architectural competion under way, the plans for the extension of the Amos Anderson Art Museum in the heart of Helsinki taking shape and the doubling of the exhibition space through renovation at the Helsinki Art Museum, Finland will offer contemporary art news worth following.
In addition, the XIX Mänttä Art Festival presents a fresh overview of Finnish contemporary art today through works by nearly seventy artists. Festival opens on 14 June.
Further information:
Serlachius Museums
MX_SI architectural studio
Mänttä Art Festival