Opening with a show by the artist Ai Weiwei sounds like a safe bet for a museum these days, and might therefore come off as a boring choice. But what about pairing the Chinese political artist with the beloved childhood cartoon characters the Moomins? That’s what Maija Tanninen-Mattila, the director of the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM), has decided to go for at the recently expanded Finnish institution, which reopens at the Tennis Palace culture centre on 25 September.
Following the inaugural exhibitions, almost 10% of the 2,400 sq.m of new space will be taken up by a gallery dedicated to the Finnish artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001), who surprisingly has never before had a permanent display of her work in the capital.
The inaugural displays are: Ai Weiwei @ Helsinki (until 28 February 2016), which features the Chinese artist’s wood-based sculptures and installation; IC-98: Aftermath (until 21 January 2016), which includes animations and computer-aided pencil drawings by the artist collective that is representing Finland in the Venice Biennale; 100 years of Taidesalonki (until 10 January 2016), with works from the country’s oldest art gallery; and a solo show of the emerging artist Reija Meriläinen (until 15 November).