Our guide to some of the great Stockholm art venues
We are proud to present our guide to some of the great contemporary art spaces in the Swedish capital. We hope it adds a little something to your art inspiration and possibly art-week walk.
Coulisse Gallery
The recently established Coulisse Gallery was founded by artist Filip Zieciak and curator Jeanette Gunnarsson. The duo presents an exhibition platform for some of the most talked about rising stars from around Scandinavia. With a funtime-approach at its core, the gallery brings new energy and newborn art-fans to the art scene.
Saskia Neuman Gallery
Saskia Neuman Gallery is yet another addition to the Stockholm art scene. Founded in 2022 by woman-about-art-town Saskia Neuman, the gallery has created a platform for both Swedish and international artists in their early and mid-careers. Prior to setting up her Östermalm-located gallery she counts London’s the Serpentine Gallery, the Venice Biennale, Absolut Art Award and Market Art Fair to her resume.
Cornelia Sojdelius Gallery
Right next to Humlegården and literally around the corner from Saskia Neuman, this gallery acts discreetly despite representing some really cool and well-known artists. The list of artists also includes Cornelia Sojdelius herself - the owner of the gallery and an artist in her own right.
With a background in performance, art and music she knows the importance of charming visitors with a warm and friendly experience.
CFHILL
CFHILL is a Stockholm-one-of-a-kind art space and art advisory service situated in a 17th century palace in central Stockholm.
Since its inception, CFHILL has presented over gutsy exhibitions across a vast range of artists including; Hilma af Klint, Hanna Hansdotter, Lena Cronqvist, Sonia Delaunay, Yayoi Kusama, Carsten Höller, Carl Larsson, Olafur Eliasson, Anders Zorn, Lucio Fontana, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Anders Krisár, Niki de Saint Phalle, Andy Warhol, Aaron Garber Maikovska, Annie Morris and Yayoi Kusama.
CFHILL was founded by renowned threesome Michael Storåkers, Anna-Karin Pusic and Michael Elmenbeck.
Anna Bohman Gallery
Today, an established institution on the contemporary art scene, the gallery has turned the otherwise sleepy part of Östermalm into a young, go-to gallery district followed by others. Today, the gallery represents mainly established artists but has recently added the space next door - At the Corner - as a room for presenting "not-yet" represented artists.
Anna is born into the art world, so opening a gallery was a smart move, and her programme reflects their Nordic roots, as well as her connections to the international art scene.
MEGA Foundation
Mega Foundation is an intimate Stockholm based gallery/art space, founded in 2015 by independent curator Maria Elena Guerra Aredal, who focuses on new contemporary art. From 2018 MEGA joined forces with yek (Independent curator Asrin Haidari) to open new contemporary art space “TEGEL". The space is shared between the two curators and they produce exhibitions and projects both together and individually.
Benhuset “The Bone House” at Katarina Church
At the heart of hip Södermalm in Stockholm we find yet another unsung beaty called Benhust. This funeral chapel was built in the early 18th century and is located on the south side of the Katarina Cemetery. For a few years now, Benhuset has been a meeting place for great art experiences that are accessible to everyone and admission is always free. In fact, it’s an experience just to enter into this building.
ISSUES
ISSUES was set up by artist-educated Oscar Carlson as a pop-up platform in 2014. The first pop-up show included artists Anna Uddenberg, Celia Hempton and Alec Cronacker and was taking up residence in an Stokcholm-apartment. As a follow-up show, Oscar did a TV screen take-over at one of Media Markt’s stores in Stockholm. Today though, the gallery has settled down at a fixed address in downtown Stockholm. The gallery focuses on local established artists with the ambition to bring these artists to an international audience.
Galleri Mejan
If you are interested in looking for emerging artists, art schools should be a great place to start. The quality of the work varies, but if you find a work you like, the support could certainly pay off in more ways than one.
Galleri Mejan at Skeppsholmen next to the Museum of Modern Art is an experimental art space run by the Royal Institute of Art for the benefit of its students. The gallery exhibits solo shows by the Master Degree students in Fine Arts and if you are interested in looking to sniff out artists known to few people, this should be a great place to start.
Loyal Gallery
Loyal Gallery was established in 2005 in the wake of the eponymous magazine founded by a creative collective of Martin Lilja, Kristian Bengtsson and Amy Giunta at its core. When their ideas outgrew the paper format it led to an innovative art space opening in Stockholm, and has since its opening been located in Vasastan.
Ever since their first opening Loyal has regularly been engaged in projects in New York and Los Angeles and has had a space in Malmö harbor. Today, the gallery is run by co-founders Martin Lilja and Amy Giunta, contributing with unique expressions otherwise not represented within the Stockholm art scene. Their main driving forces have always been creativity and enthusiasm, which is visible throughout all their actions, collaborations and events.Loyal Gallery represents an impressive number of artists, primarily based in the US.
Index - The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation
Index is a vital art institution with an extensive public programme, large projects, many of a collaborative nature, that often lead to displays of newly produced works. Keep track of their Wednesday events which usually includes a truly diverse line-up that offers everything from live performances to readings and magazine launches.
Stockholm Metro
Last but not the least, the Stockholm Metro system is frequently referred to as the world's longest art exhibition - 110 kilometers long. Traveling by tube is like traveling through an exciting story that extends from the artistic pioneers of the 1950s to the contemporary art of today.
So if you are travelling by public transport, make sure not look down. It could basically turn out to become your greatest art experience every. Check out the SL’s website (Stockholm Public Transport) for guided tours.
