Oslo emerges after cultural makeover

Arts & Design

Published: 19 Jun. 2022, 14:21

Oslo emerges after cultural makeover

The National Museum opened to the public on June 11, becoming the Nordic region's largest museum. The photo shows the museum's popular Munch Room, dedicated to 18 paintings by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. [IWAN BAAN]

OSLO – Oslo has been, especially for Koreans who will need to fly at least 18 hours with no direct flight, a mere stopping-off point on the way to Iceland. It’s a Scandinavian city but hasn’t had that prestige in art and modern design compared to neighboring ones like Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Canned fish, forests and fjords would probably be the only things that ring a bell to many people when they think about Norway. The capital city of this Nordic country decided to change that perception and has been making efforts for many years to turn Oslo into a rich cultural hub to attract global visitors.

The timing was perfect. Eight years after breaking ground, the country’s first National Museum opened its doors to the public on June 11, welcoming locals as well as international visitors who were able to freely cross the Norwegian border from Oct. 6, 2021. The Norwegian border had been closed for nearly two years during the pandemic, like many other European countries.

The New Munch Museum opened in October near Oslo's Central Station. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

The new Munch Museum opened right after the border opened, welcoming visitors to its brand new building from Oct. 22.

Oslo’s new Central Library which sits on the city’s waterfront next to its relatively new Opera House, also opened its unique Silent Room as part of the Future Library project that’s been the talk of the town among the international literary circle, on June 12. The library itself opened in June of 2020 and the Opera House opened in April 2008.

These cultural amenities are clustered around Oslo’s Central Station, the main railway station in the capital city.

Like all government-led multi-billion-dollar projects, or krone in this case, fierce criticism from taxpayers follows. The National Museum was no exception. This vast two-story building, which is the largest art museum in the Nordic region by size, faced backlash from Norwegians for its design, with some arguing that it looks like “an ugly grey monolith that resembles a prison,” as well as disputes over the rationality behind the appointment of its new director, Karin Hindsbo. The building is designed by German firm Kleihues + Schuwerk.

Norway's new National Museum was designed by German firm Kleihues + Schuwerk. [BORRE HOSTLAND]

Despite the gripes, the National Museum enjoyed a successful opening on June 11. A long line was already formed outside the museum before the opening at 10 a.m. First-time visitors to Norway like Stefanie Richter from Germany said she couldn’t wait to see Norwegian artist Edward Munch’s “The Scream.” The painting will probably be the most iconic piece on show in the National Museum as it is Munch’s earliest version of “The Scream,” painted in 1893.

“I am pretty sure ‘The Scream’ in Oslo’s National Museum can become Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ [1503] at the Louvre in Paris,” she said. “Some people wish to go to Paris to see that artwork.”

Munch’s earliest version of “The Scream,” painted in 1893. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

Norwegians like Anne Helgoy, who lives in Oslo, also visited the museum on the opening day to “check out what the collection looks like in its new home.”

“As an art lover, I was quite happy to hear that I can now see all different collections under one roof,” she said. “I also felt bad for the artworks that were being kept inside old buildings and was worried about their condition. I feel relieved now that they will be well looked after inside a brand new storage.”

The new building was necessary, according to Simen Helsvig, the museum’s communications advisor, to merge four of Norway’s art and design institutions that were getting “very old.” The four institutions were the National Gallery, which was established in 1842, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the Museum of Architecture and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hindsbo, the director, said different institutions working together under one roof allows the museum to “gain new knowledge about collections.”

“For example, we recently found underdrawings on Munch’s 'Madonna,' supporting earlier theories that the National Museum’s version is the very first one Munch painted. This cooperation between different departments — in this context, photography and conservation — is made much easier when we are all gathered under one roof,” she said.

The museum holds more than 400,000 objects. Among them, some 65,000 are on view across two floors in 87 galleries, exhibiting contemporary art, crafts, design and architecture.

Though the building is highly sophisticated and contemporary, the exhibition inside follows a fairly traditional method — a chronological timeline. The exhibit begins with how the Norwegians persecuted its indigenous Sami people in the 17th century and the culture war against them in Gallery 1. According to the museum, it wanted to “boldly showcase its intention to include all aspects of Norwegian culture and history.”

Sami artist Maret Anne Sara's “Pile O’ Sapmi Sumpreme” (2017) welcomes visitors at the National Museum in Oslo. It’s a tapestry of 400 reindeer skulls. [IWAN BAAN]

The Sami people’s religion was condemned as witchcraft and their ritual drums were burned. Some of the drums survived and one is displayed in this exhibition hall. For the Sami people, the ritual drums were a means to communicate with the spirit world.

The main lobby of the museum displays a large installation artwork by Sami artist Maret Anne Sara. Titled “Pile O’ Sapmi Supreme” (2017), it’s a tapestry of 400 reindeer skulls. It looks somewhat like like a paper mobile from afar. But from up close, visitors can see bullet holes in each skull. (Reindeer herding has been a valuable resource for the Sami people for centuries.)

One large room on the second floor is of course, dedicated to Munch, the city’s most celebrated artist. Though a large collection is in the Munch Museum, the National Museum also showcases 18 paintings by the artist including “Self-Portrait with Cigarette” (1895), “The Girls on the Bridge” (1901) as well as the original version of “The Scream.”

Korean visitors will be mesmerized by the interior design and crafts section on the first floor, which displays early editions of Nordic interior design goods from the mid-century that are very popular among Koreans today, such as Louis Poulsen lamps and Eames chairs.

The construction of the building cost 6.1 billion krone, or about $6.1 million. But visitors will soon realize why. As much as the museum’s vast collection is astonishing, the use of expensive and quality materials in the building itself is just jaw-dropping. The exhibition space of 13,000 square meters features oak wood for flooring. Marble was used for all the walls and the entire exterior of the building uses Norwegian slate. According to the museum, even though it’s so large, it uses less energy than the old building. It’s also designed to have half the carbon footprint compared to buildings of a similar size as it uses water from the nearby fjord for heating and cooling.

The new Central Library of Oslo opened the Silent Room on its top floor. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

The Central Library, designed by Oslo-based architecture and urban design practice Lundhagem, also used the same technique to reduce its carbon footprint. It is located right next to the Central Station, about 15 minutes on foot from the National Museum.

“The library was named the ‘Public Library of the Year’ last August by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and we are very proud of this feat,” said Jorn Johansen, director of communications at the library. Since its opening in June 2020, the library has seen a 43 percent increase in the number of visitors.

“The library was recognized for setting the example that libraries can also function as institutions that bring people together in towns, cities and local communities.”

According to Johansen, the opening of the Silent Room on the top floor is aimed at increasing the number of international visitors in the near future. The Silent Room, which opened on June 12, is a part of an ongoing art project dubbed Future Library by Scottish artist Katie Paterson. The project began collecting original manuscripts by renowned authors from across the globe in 2014 and will continue to do so until 2114, and store them inside the womb-like designed Silent Room made from 100 layers of undulating carved wood from Norwegian forest. The manuscripts will be printed in limited-edition, using paper made from the 1,000 trees planted in the Nordmarka Forest in Oslo, just for the project.

“Many locals use the library as they can check out books and make use of the facilities like sewing machines and podcast studios, but tourists can also feel free to come in and relax, enjoy reading books and enjoy the architecture and the view of the waterfront,” said Johansen. “It’s a library but also a space of social gathering.”

The Opera House is located right next to the library. In fact, that is why the library, which is spread over six floors — five above and one below — is designed to have a cantilever on the fifth floor, creating a striking façade. It was designed in such a way — having less floor space until the fourth floor and having the cantilever jut out more than 65 feet above ground — so that the Opera House is visible from the Central Station.

Visitors enjoy Munch's "The Sun" (1910-11) at the Munch Museum's Monumental Room on June 10. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

The Munch Museum is located just five minutes walking distance from the Opera House. The museum also had to open in a new building as its previous location in Toyen neighborhood was not easily accessible for tourists and was “getting old,” said Gerd-Elise Morland,” director of learning at the museum. It’s also 4.5 times bigger than the previous museum.

“Since the opening, we've had 700,000 visitors,” said Morland. “That’s the highest number for any Scandinavian museum in less than eight months of opening. Out of that, 100,000 were below 25 years old. This is an important number for us because it means we are engaging more young audiences than before.”

According to Morland, a major criticism that the Munch Museum received the most before opening in a new building was, “Where’s ‘The Scream?’” as “We did not have ‘The Scream’ all the time like the National Museum,” she said.

“We often rented them out and they toured other parts of the world so it was a great disappointment for travelers.”

With the opening, the Munch Museum established “The Scream Room” and will take turns in displaying Munch’s different versions of “The Scream,” one at a time.

“We have six of Munch’s ‘The Scream,’” said Morland. “The one in the National Museum is the first one he painted. I believe they are all originals as that was his way of working. He revisited his own works later in life. The second version we have in our collection was painted 20 years after he painted his first one, which is in the collection at the National Museum.”

Korean artist Do Ho Suh's installation at Kistefos, located in Jevnaker, about an hour and half drive from Oslo. It was a former paper mill but now a contemporary art museum and a sculpture park. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

“If The Swamp” by French artist Pierre Huyghe is the 50th sculpture of Kistefos. It was revealed to the public on June 12. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

Another cultural amusement that is gearing up to attract international visitors is Kistefos, a sculpture park located in Jevnaker, about an hour and a half drive from Oslo. On June 12, the park, which has now become one of Europe’s must-sees for contemporary art enthusiasts, revealed its 50th art installation “If The Swamp” by French artist Pierre Huyghe. Kistefos used to be a wood pulp mill, but when it was abandoned, it was leased by the Kistefos group and transformed into a contemporary art museum.

Norway is still expensive. But with inflation engulfing every corner of the world, 180 krone, or $18 for a ticket to the National Museum doesn’t seem that bad after all.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]