Autism-friendly guidelines for visiting Amos Rex
This page describes what to expect on your museum visit at Amos Rex art museum. It’s meant for everyone who would like to get a little bit more information to prepare and plan for their visit. Where can you get your tickets, how do you enter and who do you meet? Read this before your visit.
The aim of the Autism Friendly certification is to make services more accessible to people with autism.
People on the autist spectrum can get past the queue at the barrier-free entrance. We recognise the sunflower keychain for example, which signals an invisible disability. The keychain allows visitors to discreetly let others know that they may need extra support or extra time. We cannot always guarantee immediate assistance, but we will do our best to make your museum visit a success!
Amos Rex is a very busy museum and we often have many visitors at the same time. The most popular times to visit are weekends and special days, such as days with free entrance. On weekday mornings we sometimes have a lot of school groups. It is typically quieter on weekday afternoons and after 6pm.
Are you visiting us for the first time and have any questions about your visit after reading these pages? You can contact us at museum@amosrex.fi.
Contents of the guidelines
Click the text to navigate to the subject you’d like to know more of:
1. Arriving at the museum and entering
Welcome to Amos Rex! Amos Rex is an art museum. We present exhibitions focusing on modern and contemporary art, the exhibitions change regularly and vary a lot. If you have sensory defensiveness or sensitivity, we recommend you consider beforehand how much sensory load can you have during your visiting day at Amos Rex. You know your limits the best and these guidelines and our content remarks about the exhibition can help you to plan your visit in advance.
The Amos Rex s located in central Helsinki in a building called Lasipalatsi (“Glass Palace”) on Mannerheimintie. The address is Mannerheimintie 22–24. The museum has two entrances: the main entrance on Mannerheimintie and the fully accessible entrance at the back of the building, on Lasipalatsi Square.
We recommend booking tickets online in advance – including visitors with the Museum Card. That’s how you can skip any possible queuing at ticket sales and enter the museum without any hassle. If you have booked a ticket online, please arrive at the museum from the Lasipalatsi square side, through the accessible entrance.
We recommend you to buy your tickets online, also with €0 tickets. With an online ticket, you can make sure to get in to the museum at the time you want and skip any possible waiting lines.
Buy tickets online
If you have booked a ticket online, please arrive at the museum from the Lasipalatsi Square side, through the accessible entrance. There might be a queue at the main doors to enter if it’s a busy day. Online ticket lets you to skip the queues but please enter through the accessible entrance. Your online ticket is checked at the accessible entrance.
If you require to accessibility, you can always use the accessible entrance even without online tickets. The accessible entrance is also used by different guided tour groups, museum professionals with an ICOM card and people with a press card.
For calmer and quieter visits, Amos Rex usually has the least visitors during weekday afternoons and weekday evenings after 6 pm. During the daytime and morning we have a lot of school groups visiting us.
If you plan to buy a ticket when you arrive, use the main entrance on Mannerheimintie. The door is very heavy; you must pull hard to open it. There can be a queue of people waiting to buy tickets especially during the weekends, and then you might have to wait for some time to get in.
The museum’s domed windows are located outside, in the square. You can see through them, down into the underground museum lobby. You can climb on the domes, but be careful – they are surprisingly steep.
2. Museum’s personnel
The museum has many staff members. You can identify them by their lilac jackets or black T-shirts that say Amos Rex on them. They also have name tags and small flags in the tags show what languages the person speaks. There is staff in the exhibition spaces, the lower lobby as well as in Studio Rex. The staff is happy to help you. They may also approach you to say hello and tell you about the exhibition. If you have any questions, or if you want to know more about the museum, you can always ask the staff. You can ask practically anything, such as where the toilets are, how much art is on show, or information about the artist.
You don’t have to understand the art, and you don’t have to like everything. All questions and reactions are welcome!
There are also security guards in the exhibition area whose uniforms say Securitas. They are in the museum to make sure that both the artworks and people are safe.
You can ask any staff member or guard for advice, and they will offer help and guide you.
3. Tickets to Amos Rex
It’s always a good idea to book a ticket online in advance. We don’t charge any extra fees even if you are getting a €0 ticket. You can find more detailed instructions for buying online tickets and our admission fees on the ticket sales page.
The entrance for online tickets is on Kamppi’s side of the Lasipalatsi building. Please use the museum’s accessible door on the Lasipalatsi square’s side. Your ticket will be scanned in the museum shop Amos Rex Shop.
Tickets are also sold in the on-site in the lobby of Amos Rex at street level. Entrance is through the main doors on Mannerheimintie. You will find the cashier desk on the left of the main entrance.
Ask the cashier at the desk what kind of ticket you should buy for the exhibition. Tell them if you have a museum card or if you belong to a discount group, such as if you are under 18. Ticket prices can be found here and on a display at the front desk in the museum.
The admissions desk accepts debit and credit cards, cash and many cultural vouchers.
You can always check with your phone or tablet if online tickets are available while you’re waiting in line! With an online ticket, you can use the accessible entrance at the Lasipalatsi square. Exchange your online ticket for an admission sticker at the online ticket checkpoint or at the cash desk of the Amos Rex Shop museum shop.
When you have shown a pre-purchased ticket at the checkpoint or bought a ticket by queuing at the ticket office, you will receive a sticker from the staff. Attach this entry sticker, for example, to your shirt in a visible place, for example on the back of your hand or the front of your clothes. Keep the sticker visible throughout the visit. When you leave the museum, you can keep the sticker as a souvenir, throw it in the trash, or stick it on a wall at each entrance that already has a lot of stickers.
4. Entering the exhibition
The exhibition spaces are located underground. Once you have your admission sticker, proceed downstairs or take the lift.
The stairs are located in the middle of the museum shop. The stairs are quite steep and brightly lit and white all over. There is a handrail on either side of the staircase but no central handrail.
The lifts are located next to the stairs, on the left side. The exhibition spaces are located on floor -1. Next to the button in the lift it says Exhibition.
The walls of the lift are lighted. They are made of transparent material, and there are different coloured lights behind the walls. The lights move, but they do not flicker. There is also a quiet soundscape in the lift.
5. The underground lobby
The main museum lobby is downstairs. From here, you enter the exhibition spaces. The lobby is white and brightly lit. The lobby is painted bright white while the toilet-cloakroom area is dark. Lightning is bright and a large skylight window lets the sunlight in. The space can cause some sensory load for people who have sensory sensitivities.
In the lobby you will also find the following:
Cloakroom
There are free lockers in the lobby, as well as coat hooks where you can leave your coats and jackets and other items. The lockers are located in the part of the lobby that is black.
The museum has hearing protectors, wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, folding chairs, writing tablets and magnifying glasses for visitors’ use. Ask the staff if you need to borrow any of these items for your visit.
Each occupied locker emits a small, flashing, red light. Choose a vacant locker, place your things inside, and lock the door.
To lock the door of your locker, follow these steps: 1. Close the door of your locker. 2. Enter four numbers of your choice. 3. Finally, press the key with the green arrow in the bottom right corner. Check that the door is locked securely.
Important! Memorize the four-digit code you used. The same code will open the locker again. You open the locker the same way you locked it. If you press the wrong key, simply press C and start over. Also, remember the number of your locker so that you can locate it later.
WC
The toilets are located in the same area as the lockers. The toilets are divided into two separate areas. They are not divided by gender, and anyone can use any toilet. There are several small toilet cubicles on both sides.
At the back of each side is an accessible toilet that is suitable for wheelchair users. These accessible toilets are also a good place to take a break if you are experiencing sensory overload during your visit.
All functions in the toilets, from flushing to hand washing, are motion-activated. They work by waving your hand in front of the item you want to use. The toilets do not have air hand dryers.
Baby changing room and strollers
The baby changing room is located in the same area as the lockers. The door is located on the black wall with slats, to the right of the doorway leading to the toilets. The baby changing room has a changing table, hand shower, and potty.
Baby strollers can be left along the back wall of the locker area during your visit. There is a small stroller icon on the wall in the storage area. Please note that no prams or strollers may be left in front of an emergency exit. You can also bring your stroller with you to the exhibition, but leave any large items in the lockers or storage area. The museum also has strollers that you can borrow. Our staff are happy to help.
Entrance to the exhibition
Entrance to the exhibition is through the sliding doors located in the white lobby. There are staff members at the door: they will check your admission sticker. They will also advise you if you have any items that you should leave in the cloakroom before you enter the exhibition.
Check the museum rules on what items you can or cannot bring along with you to the exhibition space. Read the rules: Museum rules
The museum’s basic rules are as follows:
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- You may not eat or drink on the exhibition premises. Drink bottles and other liquids or snacks should be left in the self-service cloakroom or a locker.
- Large backpacks and bags must be left in a locker, as well as umbrellas on rainy days. You may take a smaller backpack to the exhibition if you carry it on your front or in your hand.
- Works of art and exhibition structures may not be touched, unless you are specifically instructed to do so by a sign or the staff.
- You may take photos and videos of the works in the exhibitions, as long as you do not use a flash and are considerate of other visitors.
- If you visit the exhibition with a small child or children, please hold them by hand while walking through the exhibition space.
Someone from the staff may approach you and tell you if you have any items or things that you are not allowed to take to the exhibition. It is okay if you don’t remember to leave everything on the list in the cloakroom – the staff are there to help you.
Someone from the museum staff is often standing or sitting next to the exhibition hall’s automatic doors in the lobby.
Next to the door, there is a stand with exhibition brochures. It has more information about the artworks and a map of the exhibition. There are brochures in Finnish, Swedish and English. The brochure is free of charge and you can take it with you or leave it to be recycled. The recycling box is a transparent plastic cube. It is located at the end of the cloakroom counter.
You can also find the exhibition brochure on our website. If you wish to read it during your visit to the exhibition halls, we recommend that you use the online version as it’s dark in the exhibition: https://galleryguide.amosrex.fi/en/
The floor in the exhibition spaces is made of wooden blocks, which makes the surface slightly uneven. The purpose of the wooden floor is to make the acoustics better and the floor softer to stand on for long periods of time. There are also some metallic floor tiles that can make a clank -sound when you step on them.
Studio Rex: Futures School
In the underground lobby, the first sliding doors on the left lead to the museum’s art workshop space, known as Studio Rex. It is always possible to participate in activities related to the current exhibition in Studio Rex, and the space is open to everyone.
For the duration of the Larissa Sansour exhibition, Amos Rex and the Children and Youth Foundation’s Futures School have created two spaces in Studio Rex where you can explore alternative futures: a smaller space open to everyone and a large workshop space. The two sides are separated by a wall.
The large workshop space is on the left side of Studio Rex as seen from the lobby. It is primarily intended for groups with advance bookings who are participating in art workshops and guided tours. When there are no groups in the space, you are free to visit this space as well. In the workshop room you can challenge your imagination and construct movie stills about alternative futures. There are workpoints on the tables, and instructions for activities beside the workpoints.
The small space open to everyone is on the right side of Studio Rex as seen from the lobby. It is always open to all visitors, also when there is a group on the other side taking part in a workshop or guided tour. However, please be considerate and let the group work in peace. In this space, you can participate in envisioning different future scenarios by modifying the timelines posted on the wall. If you prefer to rest, that is also fine – this space is for you.
There is always a discussion guide in Studio Rex, who is happy to give you directions on how to participate in the activities on offer, or to discuss your exhibition experience.
The lighting in Studio Rex is fairly bright.
6. If you need a break or are experiencing sensory overload
The quietest and calmest spaces at the museum are the accessible toilets in the underground lobby. There are two of them both at the end of each toilet corridor. The accessible toilets have full length doors that lock and they block some of the noise. The space is also a separate room in itself. Lighting is dimmer than elsewhere, the walls are dark.
Anyone from our staff can help you to exit the exhibition space and guide you to the accessible toilets. You can always ask for help or advice on site if you feel like it or need to.
7. Exhibitions now
The exhibition at Amos Rex changes about two times a year. For more information about the exhibitions, click here.
Access to Amos Rex’s exhibition hall and exhibitions is always through the sliding doors in the underground lobby.
The Larissa Sansour exhibition is in Amos Rex’s large exhibition space. You can also visit Amos Rex’s courtyard in Lasipalatsi Square where Kim Simonsson’s Moss Giants are on display – four large sculptures standing among the domes, and a fifth on the Bio Rex terrace facing Mannerheimintie. Simonsson’s exhibition ends on 20.10.2024, after which the giants will continue their journey to Söderlångvik Manor.
The sensory load of the Larissa Sansour exhibition is quite high. It consists of five video works, two sculptural works and one installation. Due to the nature of the works, it is dark in the exhibition halls. Only the seats, signs and exits are illuminated. The video work As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in The Night in the innermost exhibition hall also contains sound that comes from various directions (opera singing and music). This can evoke bodily sensations.
To help you prepare for your visit, there is a separate webpage with more detailed information about the artworks, the sensory load of the exhibition, and notes on the content. These pages also describe the content of each exhibition room in more detail, such as any loud noises or other special features of the artworks.
Find out more about the current exhibition here: Exhibition specific content remarks to help you plan your visit.
You can spend as much time as you want in the exhibition. There are a few benches in the exhibition and you can always stop to sit for a while.
Sigurd Frosterus Collection hall
In addition to the current exhibition, the museum has a display with pieces from our permanent collection. It is marked on the map as the Sigurd Frosterus Collection. The collection display consists of paintings hung on the wall. The artworks do not include any sound or moving image.
The lighting in the space is rather bright. The air conditioning creates a rather distinguishable humming sound. There are also benches where you can sit and relax in peace and quiet. It is located in the same area as the Ryoji Ikeda exhibition and you don’t need a separate ticket to enter.
There may be guided groups in the Sigurd Frosterus exhibition hall, which means that the space gets more noisy at times.
8. At the end of your visit
You can spend as much time there as you like. Exit the museum through the same entrances that are described above. Before leaving, remember to collect your belongings from your locker or the self-service cloakroom and to return any equipment you may have borrowed.
The museum has a shop, which is located at street level. If you want to buy something, you can pay for your purchase at the register. There are several ways out of the shop: either through an accessible door leading to Lasipalatsi Square or through the small door on Mannerheimintie.
You can give feedback about your visit to the staff or use the feedback box below:
