Artworks, posters and the eclectic
lifestyle of Lahti's mods and rockers.
AS THE
name suggests, the Lahti Art Museum is all about art. Located in the heart of
the city, it presents art collections and showcases that can rarely be found
anywhere else in the Nordic Countries.
The
Lahti Art Museum is a versatile venue that presents different forms of art:
old, modern and contemporary, as well as local. In addition to its impressive
collections, which feature approximately 3,500 items, the museum also hosts a
series of temporary exhibitions and co-hosts an international poster
exhibition.
"We
present art and shows in a cozy setting," says Maija-Riitta Kallio,
Curator of the Lahti Art Museum. "The museum always showcases something
new, so depending on when you stop by, you could find old and modern art,
graphic design displays or the popular poster exhibition. Different items are
displayed at different times, so make sure to check the exhibition programme
online."
Mods, rockers and Vexi Salmi
At the
moment, the Lahti Art Museum is hosting two temporary showcases. Mods and
Rockers, available until 21 May, takes visitors back to the Lahti of the late
1960s and early 1970s. "Those were the days of gangs, flares, miniskirts
and hanging out in the vestibule of the local branch of the KOP bank,"
explains Kallio. "The exhibition features a wide range of photographic
material sent in by the public, pictures by Jyväskylä-based photographer Matti
Salmi, items from the collections of other museums in Lahti, interviews with
former mods and rockers, vintage motor vehicles, film footages and other
material related to popular culture."
The
division of young people into two distinct, rival, groups – the mods and the
rockers – was an interesting but controversial phenomenon in the Lahti of the
1960s and 1970s. The mods were known for being "smartly dressed" and
for their scooters, while the motorbike-mad rockers had different lifestyles
and tastes in both fashion and music.
Mods and
Rockers, which is also on display at the Motorcycle Museum of Finland, gives
visitors the chance to take a look at the clothes and rooms of the
stereotypical mod and rockers, as well as the popular hangouts of young people
of the time: streets, the market square, the local KOP branch, clubs, bars and
restaurants.
Art As A
Passion, the second temporary exhibition, is also on display at the Lahti Art
Museum until 21 May. Here, museumgoers can admire works from the collections of
Hämeenlinna-born author and lyricist Vexi Salmi. Along with his wife Katri
Wanner-Salmi, he gathered an internationally significant collection of
contemporary art, which was donated to the Hämeenlinna Art Museum in 2010.
"The collection includes approximately 500 pieces and, in addition to
contemporary Finnish art, it also features works by Scandinavian and Estonian
painters," Kallio continues.
Incredible collections
The
Lahti Art Museum also has its own stunning collections. "Although the
museum space is not extremely big, our collection is unique and rich,"
Kallio adds. "The oldest part of the collections, which includes 74 works,
was received from the Vyborg Art Museum. In addition, we have a great
collection of Finnish drawings, over 1,500 items from the mid-19th century to
this day. The items are shown in different themed exhibitions."
The
Lahti Art Museum is also connected to the Poster Museum, a venue that displays
over 70,000 posters from Finland and abroad and which will host the
international exhibition Lahti Poster Triennial (13 June-28 September).
YANNICK ILUNGA
HELSINKI TIMESImages: HÄMEENLINNA ART MUSEUM / MATTI SALMI
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