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Season opening May 4, 2025

Map of the park

Navigate the sculpture park 
with our interactive map

Sesongapning 1

Photo: Pontus Holmenäs

Season Opening May 4th - Programme for the day

Welcome to the season opening at Kistefos!

We’re kicking off the 2025 season with two new exhibitions by Christina Quarles and Kathleen Ryan, and the unveiling of this year’s new sculpture by Nairy Baghramian.

Full programme here

CQ Behold And Be Held Beside Me

Christina Quarles, «Behold! And Be Held Beside Me». © Christina Quarles. Belongs to Gary Steele and Steven Rice's Private Collection.

Christina Quarles Bless Tha Nightngale 2019 Courtesy of Christen Sveaas Art Collection

Christina Quarles Bless Tha Nightn´gale 2019 Courtesy of Christen Sveaas Art Collection.

2021 Christina Quarles 109 sharp 1


Christina Quarles in her studio. Photo: Ilona Szwarc, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London.

Christina Quarles – Living in the Wake

May 4 - Oct 12
The Twist

For the 2025 season, Kistefos is proud to present Living in the Wake, the first major solo exhibition in the Nordic region by acclaimed American artist Christina Quarles (b. 1985). Staged within the architectural landmark The Twist, the exhibition offers a comprehensive survey of Quarles’ work and includes two entirely new paintings created specifically for the show.

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Henrikson Gagosian KR FINAL 01

Portrait Kathleen Ryan. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Jeff Henrikson.

Kathleen Ryan Deluxe 2023 Photo Francois Ghebaly Courtesy of Christen Sveaas Art Collection

Kathleen Ryan, "Deluxe, 2023". Photo: François Ghebaly. Courtesy of Christen Sveaas Art Collection.

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Kathleen Ryan, «Bad Cherries», 2021. Belongs to Timothy C. Headingtons private collection. © Kathleen Ryan. Photo: Lance Brewer.

Kathleen Ryan

May 4 - Oct 12
Nybruket Gallery & Wood Pulp Mill

Kistefos is proud to present the first museum survey of American sculptor Kathleen Ryan, opening 4 May 2025. Spanning the first decade of Ryan’s practice, the exhibition features twenty-five sculptures and is presented across two of Kistefos’ unique exhibition venues: Nybruket Gallery and the industrial-era Wood Pulp Mill.

Photo by Nan Coulter Courtesy of the artist and kurimanzutto Mexico City New York

Årets skulptur: Nairy Baghramian - Resting Arms

For the opening of the 2025 season, Kistefos is delighted to be unveiling the 56th permanent work in the museum’s sculpture park: Resting Arms by the Iranian-born, German artist Nairy Baghramian (b. 1971).

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Springbrett winner post

Liv Brissach is the Springbrett OPEN CALL 2025 recipient

The jury for the second edition of Springbrett is pleased to award the 2025 project to Liv Brissach, who will curate an exhibition at Kistefos during this year’s season.

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IMG 8863

Photo: Ida Golberg

Kistefos EA Petroc Sesti Energy Matter Space Time 0009 2

'Energy-Matter-Space-Time' by Petroc Sesti was unveiled in 2006. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Kistefos - a cultural destination with a twist

Kistefos offers world-class architecture, industrial history, art exhibitions, and an impressive sculpture park in scenic surroundings.

About Kistefos

New York Times

What makes it a must-see cultural destination is The Twist, a new 15.000-square-foot structure spanning a river in the middle of the sculpture park.

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The Twist. Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu.

The Twist

The new fabulous museum at Kistefos, designed by world-renowned architect Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG, opened Wednesday, September 2019. The building has been named the top architectural museum project in the world to open in 2019, by both the Daily Telegraph and Bloomberg.

The Twist Gallery

Kistefos EA Marc Quinn All of Nature Flows Through Us 0003

All of Nature Flows Through Us by Marc Quinn. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Kistefos EA Jeppe Hein Path of Silence 0072

Path of Silence by Jeppe Hein is a favorite of many - including the children, who use it as a fountain in it in the summer. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Kistefos EA Elmgreen Dragset Point of View Part 1 0006 16

Point of View - Part 1 by Elmgreen & Dragset. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Sculpture park of international standing

The scenic sculpture park boasts over 50 works by internationally renowned contemporary artists, including Anish Kapoor, Jeppe Hein, Tony Cragg, Olafur Eliasson, Fernando Botero, and Elmgreen & Dragset. The park focuses on site-specific and international contemporary artworks and is open year-round.

About the sculpture park

Kistefos EA Fabrizio Plessi Movimenti della Memoria 0045

From the installation Movimenti della Memoria by Fabrizio Plessi. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

2023 06 06 Kistefos sommer Hans Haug DSC07779

Photo: Hans Haug, Visit Øst-Norge

The history

Kistefos is located on the historic site of Kistefos Træsliperi A/S, founded by Anders Sveaas in 1889. The factory produced wood pulp until the mid-1950s and played a significant role in Norway's industrial history. In 1996, Kistefos was established as a museum by his grandson, Christen Sveaas, who aimed to preserve and continue the family legacy. The original machinery and buildings have been preserved and now form a unique Living Factory experience, where visitors can gain insight into the industrial production that was once central to Kistefos.

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Katy Vandekerckhove:

Kistefos was really a jewel on earth with high level art in fantastic surroundings