Vaasa Museums’ 2026 exhibition programme highlights body politics, environmental issues, and gaming culture

The exhibition year opens with the Miettinen Collection: Body Politics at the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art from the 24^th of January to the 4^th of April 2026. The exhibition examines the human body through the lenses of power, identity, and societal structures. On display are some 100 works by both Finnish and internationally renowned contemporary artists, including the Ghanaian Amoako Boafo.

The exhibition invites visitors to consider human identity and the political dimensions of the body across various cultural contexts. Timo Miettinen is a second-generation art collector. Since 2004, Miettinen’s collection has expanded to include contemporary art and now comprises around 1,500 works.

The Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art is part of an international museum exhibition tour; the Miettinen Collection arrives in Vaasa as the final stop of a tour that has visited both Germany and Helsinki Kunsthalle.

Mutants and ends of the world

Kuntsi’s summer exhibition from the 16^th of May to the 29^th of August 2026 is a collaborative effort by Vaasa-based Marcus Lerviks and German artist Florian Tuercke, titled Apocalypse Now. The exhibition explores the relationship between humans and nature through sound, video, and installations. It examines humankind’s drive to dominate the environment and invites visitors to consider the experience of pristine nature.

At the Ostrobothnian Museum, nabbteeri’s exhibition The Scavengers’ Garden will be running from the 9^th of May to the 20^th of September 2026. The artists in the collective, consisting of Janne Nabb and Maria Teeri are based in Övermark, Närpes, and have collaborated since 2008. Their exhibition is built around an installation composed of slide projectors. The installation zooms in on the world of insects and invertebrates, while exploring the acceptance of otherness and the ecological dimensions of art. Known for their experimental and site-specific art, nabbteeri has represented Finland at the Venice Biennale in 2019, and the piece Parahultainen isäntä (A suitable host, 2025) was featured in this year’s Helsinki Biennale.

Autumn exhibitions

The art-historical exhibition at Tikanoja Art Museum presents Finland’s first artists colony, the Önningeby Artist Colony. The exhibition highlights its key members, with a particular focus on women artists such as Nina Ahlstedt, Elin Danielson-Gambogi and Hanna Rönnberg. The exhibition also includes works by the colony’s founding member Victor Westerholm. One aim of the exhibition is to map out the works by Elin Alfhild Nordlund and Eva Topelius Acke, both of whom have roots in Ostrobothnia. The exhibition also highlights the colony’s role in the development of plein air painting, or painting outdoors. The exhibition is on view from the 10^th of October 2026 to the 20^th of February 2027.

The group exhibition with the working title Gaming explores gaming culture, examining the social impact of gaming and the cultural history of games. It showcases significant Finnish contemporary artists whose work opens up the world of games. The exhibition will be on view at the Ostrobothnian Museum from the 7^th of November 2026 to the 7^th of March 2027, featuring artists such as Harold Hejazi, Marita Liulia, Reija Meriläinen, and Maria Nordbäck from Vaasa.

A historical exhibition on the Vaasa Court of Appeal

In 2026, Vaasa Court of Appeal will celebrate its 250th anniversary. The historical exhibition sheds light on the early years of Vaasa Court of Appeal and its impact on the development of the entire Ostrobothnia region. The Court of Appeal was established in 1775 and began hearing cases the following year in Old Vaasa. The exhibition at the Museum of Old Vaasa, running from the 7^th of May to the 29^th of August 2026, offers a glimpse into the daily life of the judiciary and its societal significance.

Nature photographers Benjam Pöntinen and Jukka Risikko will bring their photographic exhibition Creatures of Night and Day to Terranova at the Ostrobothnian Museum (December 3^rd 2025–March 29^th 2026), where foxes, owls and flying squirrels guide visitors into the heart of Southern Ostrobothnian nature. The photographs are changed monthly, so the exhibition offers something new to see during every visit.

Touring exhibitions bring art across the region

The touring exhibition Jan Olof Mallander – Photographs presents the work of artist, gallerist and collector Jan Olof Mallander, featuring photographs taken throughout his long career. In 2026, the exhibition will be on view at locations including Korsnäs Library, the Town Hall Gallery in Nykarleby, and Kristinestad’s Culture House Dux.

The exhibition Lundgren sisters’ Ostrobothnia, showcasing the works of the three Lundgren sisters, will be on view at Vaasa City Library in 2026. Ebba, Ellen and Eva Lundgren captured Ostrobothnian landscapes with a romantic touch, yet received little attention during their lifetime. The exhibition highlights their art as part of Vaasa’s cultural history.

2026 exhibition calendar

Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art

• Miettinen Collection: Body Politics 24 Jan – 4 April 2026
• Marcus Lerviks and Florian Tuercke: Apocalypse Now 16 May – 29 Aug 2026
• Exhibition (more info later): 19 Sept 2026 – 9 Jan 2027

Ostrobothnian Museum

• Lay Of(f) the Land: Nordic group exhibition 29 Nov 2025 – 12 April 2026
• Yön ja päivän kulkijat (Creatures of Night and Day, Terranova) 3 Dec 2025 – 29 March 2026
• nabbteeri: The Scavengers’ Garden, solo exhibition 9 May – 20 Sept 2026
• Working title: Gaming, group exhibition 7 Nov 2026 – 7 March 2027

Tikanoja Art Museum

• I am Not Afraid – Finnish contemporary illustrators until 23 May 2026
• Working title: Önningeby Artist Colony 10 Oct 2026 – 20 Feb 2027

Museum of Old Vaasa

• Vaasa Court of Appeal 250 years 7 May – 29 Aug 2026

Touring exhibitions in 2026

• Jan Olof Mallander – Photographs
• Lundgren Sisters’ Ostrobothnia

The exhibition programme is subject to change.