Art House Turku will have even more to offer after Kilta Gallery and Kino Kilta open in the fire brigade building

After the extensive renovation, a new gallery space Kilta Gallery and a new cinema Kino Kilta will open in the Fire Brigade Building of Art House Turku in September 2024. Kilta Gallery’s exhibition programme will start with the WAM exhibition series, and Kino Kilta will bring cinematic art into Art House Turku.

Vesa Aaltonen

The permanent gallery space to be opened at Art House Turku will offer possibilities for a diverse exhibition programme, initiated by a series of exhibitions organised by Turku City Art Museum WAM. WAM’s exhibition and audience engagement activities will move to the gallery for the duration of the renovation of WAM’s own museum building. The cinema will be located on the second floor of the fire brigade, and it will, in turn, show alternative films.

    “We hope that the gallery and cinema will spark novel forms of collaboration as they operate in direct contact with each other. Screening video art in the cinema is one possibility, but the cooperation is likely to flow in both directions, at the very least in the shape of services offered by Kino for the gallery,” says Jere Pensikkala, CEO of Art House Turku.
    “Kino Kilta and Art House Turku will also provide an unexpected venue for seminars and training.”

The renovation of the fire brigade building is the largest refurbishment project to be carried out at Art House Turku. The implementation is receiving extensive co-financing from the City of Turku and the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Turku 2029 Foundation, as well as an advance commitment by the Finnish Film Foundation.

Heini Aho’s exhibition starts the WAM exhibition series at Kilta Gallery

Kilta Gallery’s exhibition series begins with a solo exhibition by Turku-based visual artist Heini Aho. In her exhibition that consists of sculptures and installations, Aho examines everyday matters and objects that we take for granted, and explores their use from a new perspective. The works convey a sense of wonderment and the need to explore, but they are also infused with a dose of humour.     

   “Kilta Gallery’s exhibition programme focuses on regional artists, and the goal is to create new and interesting encounters,” says Jonni Saloluoma, exhibitions curator at WAM.

After Heini Aho, there will be exhibitions by Jussi Haro, Anu Halmesmaa, Fanny & Vivi Varjo and Matti Helenius.

   “It is important for Turku Museum Centre to be able to serve as the city’s art museum also during the renovation of WAM. It is interesting to incorporate WAM exhibitions into the activities of Art House Turku at the very heart of Turku’s Old Town, and it has been great to find a collaborative solution that benefits both parties,” says Juhani Ruohonen, Director of Museum Services.

After the renovation of WAM’s museum building, WAM’s exhibition and audience engagement activities will move back to Itäinen Rantakatu in autumn 2026.

Film Centre of Southwest Finland to open cinema Kino Kilta

The cinema Kino Kilta will specialise in films that would not otherwise be seen in Turku, with a particular focus on European films. The Finnish Film Festival, the Turku regional series of the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) and many screenings and festivals organised by local film associations will also move to Kino Kilta.

As part of the basic activities of the film centre, media education will also be organised for groups of children from schools and day-care centres, as well as screenings for seniors. The same facility will also house the Film Centre of Southwest Finland, as well as a library and archives open to everyone.