Katja Hagelstam, born in Helsinki in 1965, began her professional career as a photographer. Having mainly focused on interiors, architecture and art objects for over 20 years, she developed an eye for quality, detail and timeless aesthetics. This inevitably led to the birth of Lokal – a open space where to show curated art and design by local contemporary creators.

Lokal is a Helsinki home for various mediums, ranging from the finest ceramics, glass, furniture and textiles pieces to paintings and photographic art. Since the opening of Lokal in 2012, Katja has curated close to 60 exhibitions at the gallery as well as various other locations both in Finland and abroad. She enjoys bringing people together, ultimately providing a platform for a creative community to flourish, all the while promoting sustainable, ethical and ecological values within the field.