The premise of the ARS 11 exhibition is Africa in contemporary art. The themes are global, issues that affect us all. Memory, recollection and the simultaneous presence of different histories and layers of time, these are some of the common starting points of the work of many artists featured in ARS 11.

About 30 artists will be invited to participate in the exhibition, some of whom will produce new work for the show. The following artists have already started work for the exhibition: Georges Adéagbo (1942 Benin), Samba Fall (1977 Senegal), Laura Horelli (1976 Finland), Alfredo Jaar (1956 Chile), Otobong Nkanga (1974 Nigeria), Nandipha Mntambo (1982 Swaziland), Odili Odita (1966 Nigeria) and Barthélémy Toguo (1967 Cameroon). The Center for Contemporary Art Lagos CCA will produce an exhibition of work by the Nigerian photographer J. D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere (b. 1930), to be mounted on the second floor in Kiasma.

ARS 11 will extend across Finland and also to one venue in Sweden. The satellite exhibitions will be curated and produced by the partner museums and will showcase the themes of ARS 11.

ARS 11 will be part of the programme of the Capital of Culture year 2011 in Turku. The contribution of Kiasma will include two video installations from its collections: Where is Where? (2008) by Eija-Liisa Ahtila and WESTERN UNION: Small Boats (2007) by Isaac Julien. Both works will be on show for the first time in Finland. This part of the ARS 11 exhibition will be produced in cooperation with the Kiasma Foundation.

The ARS 11 curator team are Pirkko Siitari, Director of Kiasma, Arja Miller, Chief Curator, and Jari-Pekka Vanhala, Curator. The ARS 11 programme for Kiasma Theatre will be compiled by Riitta Aarniokoski. The African theme for ARS 11 was chosen by the former director of Kiasma, Berndt Arell.

The ARS 11 exhibition celebrates the 50-year history of the most important exhibition institution in Finland. Organised since 1961, the ARS exhibitions have played a crucial role in shaping ideas about art and giving a face to contemporary art in Finland. The history of the ARS exhibitions will be showcased during ARS 11 by two publications produced by the Central Art Archives of the Finnish National Gallery as well as by documentary material.

An unprecedented exhibition exploring the broad spectrum of contemporary African art, design, and craft worldwide, The Global Africa Project premieres at the Museum of Arts and Design this November. Featuring the work over 100 artists working in Africa, Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Caribbean, The Global Africa Project surveys the rich pool of new talent emerging from the African continent and its influence on artists around the world. Through ceramics, basketry, textiles, jewelry, furniture, and fashion, as well as selective examples of architecture, photography, painting, and sculpture, the exhibition actively challenges conventional notions of a singular African aesthetic or identity, and reflects the integration of African art and design without making the usual distinctions between "professional" and "artisan."