Sculptures | At the beginning of the summer, there will be a fountain in front of Kiasma, which has also been exhibited in New York

Contemporary art The museum will have a fountain in front of Kiasma at the beginning of summer, the museum informs.

The National Gallery, which runs Kiasma, has acquired a Danish artist By Nina Beier of the work Women & Children (2022), which will be on display in front of Kiasma from May 30.

The sculpture, which acts as a fountain, will be placed in the pool next to Kiasma's café terrace. The work consists of 11 bronze sculptures found by Beier, from whose eyes the water of the fountain flows.

Sculpture are from different times and represent different styles. Beier has received inspiration for the work, for example, from the fountain of the Bom Jesus do Monte sanctuary in Portugal, where the water flowing from the eyes of the sculpture embodies the gaze.

The title of the work refers to the old principle “women and children first”, according to which those considered the weakest and most helpless in society are the first to be rescued in a dangerous situation.

Women & Children has previously been exhibited in New York's High Line park. The work was acquired for the collections of the National Gallery with the support of the New Carlsberg Foundation.

“Nina Beier's sculpture group brings women and children to the parade ground in front of the museum. It brings a refreshing change to the area's public sculptures, which memorial statues of presidents and By Richard Serra steely Diving have ruled until now”, Kiasma's museum director Leevi Haapala says in the announcement.

Nina Beier (b. 1975) is an internationally respected contemporary artist. His sculptures are often based on existing objects whose status and value have changed over time.

Beier will also have an exhibition at Kiasma, which will open on March 22. According to the release, the exhibition is the widest overview of his production seen in the Nordic countries.