EXHIBITIONS
Helena Blomqvist: Uusi ystäväni – The New Friend, 23.5.–6.9.2026
The enchanting photographs of Swedish visual artist Helena Blomqvist (b. 1975) lead viewers into intense, dreamlike narratives. The works resemble stills from a film or scenes from a fairy tale, yet they also carry a deep melancholy and societal undertones.
23.5.–6.9.2026 Gallery Sidetrack //
Paula Lehtonen: Kunniavieraat – Guests of Honor
Read more of the exhibition here.
Photo: Helena Blomqvist, Circus, 2016 © Helena Blomqvist
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
MUSEUM BUILDING
The building of the Salo Art Museum is an old locomotive shed. More than 100 years old, the roundhouse has in its history gone through several phases of expansion. As a result of the last expansion, the building was converted into a modern art museum. The old brick section was renovated into exhibition halls, and next to that was built a new section, in which offices and work areas, art storage, and an on-demand café are located. The roundhouse was opened as an art museum in October 1998.
Salo Art Museum, photo: Niclas Warius.
OLD LOCOMOTIVE
In the inner courtyard of the museum stands a locomotive on the rotating turntable. The locomotive was purchased at the time of the museum´s opening from the Locomotive Park of Haapamäki. The renovation of the “chicken” type of locomotive was done by the Locomotive Museum Association of Haapamäki. The locomotive is dated to 1921, and it was in use until 1970. It got its nickname due to its characteristic “pecking” type of movement.