The weird looking building in center of Helsinki is Kiasma. It is a contemporary art museum with 5 floors and over 9000 pieces of art. Its name kiasma, Finnish for chiasma, alludes to the basic conceptual idea of its architect, Steven Holl. The museum exhibits the contemporary art collection of the Finnish National Gallery founded in 1990. Its central goal is to make contemporary art better known and strengthen its status.

An architectural design competition to design a contemporary arts museum in Helsinki was held in 1992. In 1993 the work Chiasma by the American architect Steven Holl was selected from the 516 competitors. The construction of the disputed and controversial Kiasma was started in 1996. It was opened in 1998.