Currently the director of Amos Rex in Helsinki, Kieran Long has spent the past two decades shaping the way we understand art, architecture, and design, previously through his work at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and ArkDes in Stockholm. In this conversation, recorded during Fashion in Helsinki, we explore the evolving role of museums in a fast-changing world. From using public space as a cultural platform to collaborating with fashion icon Minttu Vesala, Kieran offers a compelling vision for what a museum can be in 2025 and beyond.
In an interview with our Editor-in-Chief and founder, Konrad Olsson, Kieran discusses:
- Why fashion is more than clothes, it’s culture
- How museums can become spaces for self-expression and public dialogue
- The impact of AI on creativity and artistic practice
- Lessons from working with the iconic Finnish fashion personality Minttu Vesala and staging fashion shows in public space
Key takeaways
Fashion belongs in museums — but not just on a pedestal
Kieran Long challenges the traditional view of fashion exhibitions as object-focused. At Amos Rex, fashion is treated as a cultural phenomenon — immersive, social, and identity-driven. “Fashion is more like a culture. It’s a way of being, it’s a kind of attitude, it’s who your friends are and what they’re wearing and listening to and the rooms they’re spending time in.”
Museums are becoming platforms for public life
For Kieran, museums today should function as public forums, not just spaces for contemplation. With Amos Rex situated in central Helsinki, engaging the surrounding urban life is part of the mission. “We’re like a little microcosm of a town… a museum is a public toilet and a café and a place to go on a date and a place even to get married.”
Collaboration with Minttu Vesala redefined what a fashion show can be
In working with Finnish fashion icon Minttu Vesala, Amos Rex turned its courtyard into a radically accessible fashion experience open to all passers-by. “She’s the perfect person to bridge a very ambitious pop-cultural vision of fashion with the craft of it… Anyone walking past our public space will be able to take part in that.
The museum world is still processing the power of fashion exhibitions
Reflecting on his time at the V&A, Kieran recalls how the Alexander McQueen exhibition reshaped expectations around what a fashion show in a museum could mean — both culturally and operationally “We were open all night for more than a month… There were people turning up hammered at 3am with their ticket. It couldn’t be missed.
Artists will subvert AI — not run from it
On the role of AI in artistic practice, Kieran is sceptical of optimisation and sameness. But he believes artists will use AI to question and reimagine expression. “Art is about finding the weirdo and what’s extraordinary about them… I think artists are going to take [AI], subvert it, and make it something new.”
