The Twist Museum in Jevnaker, Oslo, Norwegian Gallery Buildings, Images, Architecture Design Project

The Twist Museum in Jevnaker, Oslo

International Art Exhibitions Building, Norway design by BIG Architects

20 Sep 2019
The Twist at Kistefos, Jevnaker Museum

photo : Laurian Ghinitoiu
The Twist at Kistefos, Jevnaker Museum

17 Jun 2019

The Twist

Architects: BIG

Location: Jevnaker, Oslo, Norway

The new museum building, The Twist, at Kistefos, Norway. Courtesy BIG

Kistefos has announced its new museum designed by award-winning architecture practice BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, which will open to the public on 18 September 2019. Set within the existing museum and sculpture park complex on a woodland estate at Jevnaker near Oslo, Norway, the building named The Twist will host an international programme of contemporary art exhibitions beginning with ‘Hodgkin and Creed – Inside Out’ from 18 September to 17 November.

The Twist
Described by architect Bjarke Ingels as an ‘inhabitable bridge’, the 1,000 square metre building takes a sculptural form, twisting at the midway point as it crosses the Randselva river to connect the north and south sides. Selected following an international competition, the design of the new building responds to the unique environment and enhances the visitor experience of Kistefos, one of Europe’s most naturally beautiful places to enjoy contemporary art.

Visitors may access ‘The Twist’ from both ends of the building. From the south side of the river, visitors enter through a dramatic double height space with clear sightlines through the entire building to the north entrance. From the north end of the building, visitors arrive in a panoramic space with views of the pulp mill and the surrounding landscape.

Bjarke Ingels said: “We were instantly fascinated by the dramatic landscape of Kistefos — the winding river, forested riverbanks and the steep topography. Our proposal for a new art museum acts like a second bridge in the sculpture park, forming a continuous loop across both riverbanks. With the inhabited bridge, we stumbled upon our first experiment with social infrastructure — a building that serves as a bridge — or a cultural institution that serves as a piece of infrastructure.’

Museum and Sculpture Park
Established in 1996 by Norwegian businessman and art collector Christen Sveaas on the former site of his family wood pulp business, Kistefos comprises an industrial museum, exhibition galleries and sculpture park at Jevnaker, a municipality 80 kilometres north of Oslo, Norway. It has a mission to conserve the buildings and industrial heritage of the area whilst also celebrating the best of Norwegian and international contemporary art.

The sculpture park already includes site-specific works by leading international artists such as Tony Cragg, Anish Kapoor, Marc Quinn, Jeppe Hein, Philip King, llya Kabakov and Lynda Benglis, amongst others, and the new exhibition space, accessed via pathways leading through the beautiful and scenic landscape, will represent a natural extension of the existing programme. The most recent site-specific artwork by Kusama, ‘Shine of life’ was unveiled in May 2019 and is inspired by the nature, water and industry at Kistefos.

Christen Sveaas said: “After many years of planning and development, we’re delighted to be opening this beautiful new space ‘The Twist’ at Kistefos, which will allow us to expand our work with leading contemporary artists and welcome more visitors than ever before. Our ambition is to make Kistefos a must-see cultural destination with a world-class temporary exhibition and sculpture park programme to complement the rich industrial heritage of the site.”

Hodgkin and Creed – Inside Out
Howard Hodgkin, Talking About Art, 1975, Oil on wood, 106 x 127 cm. © The Estate of Howard Hodgkin; Martin Creed, Work No. 2325, 2015, Multi colour neon, 22.9 cm. © Martin Creed. All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage 2019

The opening exhibition ‘Hodgkin and Creed – Inside Out’ (18 September – 17 November) pairs Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017) with Martin Creed (b.1968) and features important works from public and private collections including the Christen Sveaas Art Collection. Curated by Guy Robertson and produced by Kistefos in collaboration with The Estate of Howard Hodgkin and Martin Creed, it is the first exhibition to bring these two artists together. It celebrates their shared conviction that art offers a framework for expressing our complex emotional lives.

Curator Guy Robertson said: “Hodgkin was a fan of Martin Creed. Pairing these artists ‘Inside Out’ takes us beyond a lyrical reading of Hodgkin’s oeuvre, which spans eight decades, and allows us to reconsider it in the context of contemporary art practice. At the same time, it focuses our attention on the essential expressionist character of Creed’s work.”

The Twist Museum in Jevnaker, Oslo images / information received 170619

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