ARS 01 is the sixth exhibition in the ARS series, the first of which was held forty years ago. In a small country such as Finland, each of these exhibitions has been an immense cultural undertaking. It is therefore only natural for them to have taken on something of the status - or stigma of an official aesthetic or conception of art. They tell of contemporary values and preferences in art, and ideas shared by Finnish art circles. During the first decades, the importance of the ARS exhibitions particularly lay in their contemporary and international nature. The Finland of the post-war decades was still a culturally isolated country. The introduction to the catalogue of ARS 1961 promised "to present the achievements of the searching and struggling art of our day." Cultures met, and the new art shocked and surprised viewers, providing a range of new impulses that can be easily traced in the history of Finnish art. Cultures meet again in the sixth ARS exhibition. The theme now is the third space, a reference to an actively emerging new space in inter-cultural communication. Cultures have always met, subtly or through great migrations, as peaceful events or in bloody conflict. All these developments have shaped the basis of our worldview. At present, however, cultural interaction has gained pace; new channels of information, technology and migration have - separately and in concert - created a world that is irretrievably different from the one where ARS 1961 was staged. As a country, Finland has remained in the periphery and demographically we are still a very homogeneous nation. Finns have traditionally migrated out of the country, and immigration into Finland is a recent and limited phenomenon. In her article Maaretta Jaukkuri, head of the exhibition's curatorial team, asks whether Finland is the right place for such discussion or whether we even have a moral right to treat this aspect of history. I would claim that we have every right to take up this theme, and we if anyone, should face these issues. To assemble, mount and encounter an art exhibition of the size and scope of ARS has also been a unique and challenging experience for all involved. The whole staff of Kiasma has spared no skill or effort in creating an unparalleled visual feast. Thanks are due to the artists, the lenders, the sponsors and all who have helped make ARS 01 possible. Tuula Karjalainen Museum Director