Malva opens its winter season with highlights from the collection, explorations of Karelian identity in contemporary art, and content co-created by young people
Malva’s exhibition programme for the end of the year presents a diverse selection of works from the collection, Karelian cultural heritage in contemporary art, and community-driven stories created by young adults.
Visio
Visio invites visitors to engage with the shifting boundaries of perception, experience, and reality. The exhibition features works from Malva’s poster and art collections from the late 1960s and early 1970s, alongside textiles from the same period from the collections of the Lahti Museums. Visio highlights the defining characteristics of the era’s art: bold expression, the pursuit of expanded perception, and a fearless challenge to prevailing norms.
Approaching psychedelic culture from a contemporary perspective, Visio brings the collection works into a multilayered dialogue with site-specific installations created by artists Inka Bell and Hemmo Siponen.
The exhibition foregrounds the connections between psychedelic, kinetic, and pop art. Through both collection works and newly commissioned pieces, Visio examines questions of perception, experience, and cultural critique, reflecting on how contemporary culture continues to be shaped by the artistic movements and psychedelic currents of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“The cusp of the 1970s was a culturally significant period marked by profound tensions and growing awareness of global issues such as war and the environmental crisis. Today, the desire to expand consciousness and strengthen our connection to nature and community – for example through psychedelic therapy – has once again become relevant,” explains Malva curator Ilari Laamanen.
The exhibition features both Finnish and American graphic artists and visual artists. Works by pioneering psychedelic poster artists – most notably Wes Wilson and Victor Moscoso – are presented in dialogue with pieces by Kimmo Kaivanto, Tuomo Lukkari, and Jorma Kardén. Many of the works originate from the collection of Lahden Taiteet ry, which was entrusted to the museum last autumn.
“It is wonderful to finally present these gems from the collection to the public,” say collection curators Hanna Suihko and Liisa Mäkitalo, together with textile conservator Eveliina Holopainen.
Vision is on display in the Brewery Galleries on the 1st floor 4.12.2026 – 21.2.2027.
Karelian Contemporaries
Through contemporary art, this exhibition explores what it means to be Karelian at a time when questions of roots, identity, and transgenerational memory have taken on renewed significance. In recent years, interest in family histories and the experiences of displaced Karelians has grown, particularly in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The exhibition approaches Karelian identity as multifaceted and evolving. Rather than seeking a single definition of what it means to be Karelian, it embraces the idea of multiple Karelian identities – different ways of belonging, remembering, and connecting with culture. The works on display explore themes of identity, silence, grief, and the revitalisation of language and cultural traditions. Karelian heritage is also reflected in the materials, techniques, and visual expressions employed by the artists.
The participating artists come from diverse backgrounds. Many are second- or third-generation descendants of displaced Karelians or people with refugee backgrounds, each examining questions of heritage and belonging from their own perspective. The exhibition is grounded in a three-year research project and contributes to ongoing discussions about how younger generations are engaging with history and cultural heritage in new ways. The exhibition’s visiting curator is Suvi Saloniemi.
Karelian Contemporaries is on display in the LähiTapiola Vellamo Gallery on the 1st floor 11.12.2026 – 2.5.2027.
Malva: Pathways to Participation
Asikkala, Lahti, Padasjoki, Kärkölä, Heinola, Orimattila, Kauppatori, Malva…
This community-driven exhibition highlights the experiences of young adults living in the Päijät-Häme region. Malva provides a platform for them to share images and words about issues that matter to them – from everyday life and local identity to their relationship with the art museum. Visitors are invited to explore the perspectives that emerge – and see them shine.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with participants in Malva Comes to Town, a touring outreach programme that visited municipalities across the region during the spring and summer of 2026. It forms part of Malva: Pathways to Participation, a broader project that explores young adults’ relationship with museums through an open, participatory approach. Funded by the Finnish Heritage Agency, the project promotes regional equality for young people aged 18–29 in Päijät-Häme by strengthening their inclusion in the art museum and developing services that better respond to their needs and interests.
Malva: Pathways to Participation is on display in the Cellar Gallery 11.8–4.10.2026.
Inspector Palmu’s Mistake and Other Finnish Film Posters
The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) celebrates its 100th anniversary in autumn 2026. To mark the centenary, YLE invited Finns to share the films that have been most meaningful to them, spanning the history of Finnish cinema from the 1920s to the present day.
The initiative received more than 5,000 responses. Based on the results, one hundred Finnish films will be screened throughout the year in what will be the most extensive audience-curated programming series in YLE’s history.
Malva’s exhibition presents a selection of original posters from films chosen as the nation’s favourites. The posters reveal how the visual language of cinema has been shaped by audience expectations, production company policies, and changing trends in graphic design.
The exhibition explores the stylistic evolution of film poster art, the influence of designers’ creative choices, and the relationship between posters and the technological and cultural developments of their time. In some cases, a film poster can leave a more lasting impression than the film itself, shaping how audiences remember and interpret the work.
The exhibition features works from Malva’s poster collection and the poster archive of the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI). It has been produced in collaboration with KAVI and the Finnish Broadcasting Company.
Inspector Palmu’s Mistake and Other Finnish Film Posters is on display in the Cellar Gallery 20.10.–13.12.2026.
Further Information
Poster collections
Photos of the artworks
