Artscape Nordland – a 40,000 square kilometre art gallery, Norway

While endless innovative projects continue to pour out of Denmark and Sweden, oftentimes their smaller but no less creative Scandinavian sister, Norway, is overlooked. Introducing Artscape Nordland, a permanent exhibition of 33 spectacular sculptures adorning 32 Norwegian municipalities. With museums being few and far between in the sparsely populated Nordland region, the Nordland City Council decided it was high time to bring art to the people, no mean feat considering the area spans almost 40,000 square kilometres. Since its birth in 1992, 33 artists from 18 different countries have been commissioned to design and build unique sculptures for the Artscape Nordland initiative.

Dotted throughout the vast Nordland region, these artworks represent the diversity of sculpture from the 60s until contemporary time. Each artwork has been carefully designed not only to harmonise with the surrounding nature and reflect the local culture, but also to bring a new dimension to the area. Participating artists were encouraged to create a strong presence by making individual artistic statements. The results speak for themselves.

Free of confining walls and ceilings, this is what we call an art gallery.

Where to stay?

If this little teaser has managed to whet your appetite, prepare to be blown away by the JUVET Landscape Hotel in the western Norwegian fjords. Resting on the banks of the river Valdolla and camouflaged by a proud family of birch, aspen and pine trees, you’ll find seven modest and unassuming wooden structures aptly called landscape huts.

Unlike traditional design hotels, the JUVET is humbly decorated with just a bed, lamp and lounge chairs – the focal point being enormous panoramic windows which offer seamless widescreen viewing of the breathtaking surroundings.

In a similar vein to Artscape Nordland, the JUVET Landscape Hotel endeavours to reflect and complement the surrounding nature. And what a fine job it does.