HELSINKI.- The Board of Directors of the Finnish National Gallery has decided to continue the term of Museum Director, Leevi Haapala, PhD. The extension follows the current five-year term, which ends on 31 May 2020.

Leevi Haapala has built an impressive exhibition programme for Kiasma and continued the museum’s international networking efforts. “I am happy that we can continue the cooperation that got off to a great start with Leevi Haapala. With Haapala at the helm, Kiasma’s visitor figures have settled at a new, higher level. He has done an excellent job”, says the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Finnish National Gallery, President Tarja Halonen.

“I would like to thank the Board of Directors of the Finnish National Gallery and Director General, Risto Ruohonen, for their support and trust. Together with our team of professional, we are creating a dynamic and forward-looking exhibition programme at Kiasma for our diverse audience. We are building a topical dialogue between Finnish contemporary and performance art and European and global art, for example, through our upcoming ARS22 exhibition. Contemporary art produces experiences, ideas and meaningful encounters, and tells stories about our own time as part of an ongoing social transformation”, Haapala says about the future plans for the museum.

The Board of Directors of the Finnish National Gallery made a unanimous decision about the appointment at its meeting in May.