Dr Leevi Haapala, Director of Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art since Summer 2015, began his university studies in Turku and moved to Helsinki in connection with his civilian national service in Summer 1994.

The journey of Dr Leevi Haapala to the helm of Kiasma is a modern retelling of the traditional apprenticeship. He first came to the Museum of Contemporary Art in 1994 as a non-military serviceman to work on the ARS95 exhibition. Thereafter, Dr Haapala worked for the Finnish National Gallery for two decades as assistant, researcher, curator, and acting chief curator. His journey to the director's post has involved several stages that have given him insights into the many parts of a living museum.

From my PhD studies at the University of Helsinki, I remember a study group led by Dr Harri Kalha, docent in art history and gender studies. It was on visual culture and art studies, and it turned out to be the one group that did the most to help…

Leevi Haapala was appointed curator of #FocusFinland, the Finnish programme at the ARCOmadrid 2014 art fair in Madrid. Finland was the focus country of the fair, and it is still the most extensive export project ever undertaken for Finnish art. Several of the most notable art galleries in Finland and more than 20 artists were represented.

Under the aegis of Ms Pirkko Siitari, who was director of Kiasma until spring 2015, the museum’s exhibition programme was essentially planned through to the end of 2016. Dr Leevi Haapala tells us they are now working on the forthcoming ARS17 exhibition as well as on further exhibitions and themes for the coming years. Autumn 2015 holds a strong flavour of politics and social issues. In addition to School of Disobedience by Jani Leinonen, in October Demonstrating Minds, an exhibition of dissenting voices in contemporary art, was opened.

Dr Leevi Haapala says his job and his free time are inextricably linked. The Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art must represent his museum and attend assorted cultural events. “I rather think of what I used to enjoy doing in my free time. We just got our wooden boat into dry dock for the winter, so there's one worry dealt with.”

In 2014, Kiasma was the best known museum in Finland. My term as director began at a good juncture in that after our renovation we had already reached our 2015 target for visitor numbers by October. I hope to be able to keep up the public interest we gained with our reopening and maintain the good buzz and flow.