Kunstilo: Nordic contemporary art in a former grain silo

Kunstsilo by Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX and Mendoza Partida in Kristiansand, Norway - Photo by ©Alan Williams Photography, courtesy of the architects.

Kunstsilo by Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX and Mendoza Partida in Kristiansand, Norway – All photos are by ©Alan Williams Photography, unless stated otherwise – courtesy of Kunstsilo museum.

Architecture. On the Odderøya peninsula in Kristiansand, Norway, thirty 41-metre-tall white silos reflect on the North Sea. They are the key feature of the new Kunstsilo Museum of Contemporary Art by Barcelona and Oslo-based Mestres Wåge Arquitectes and Barcelona-based studios BAX and Mendoza Partida. The museum rises at the centre of a historic harbour and district, which has become a thriving cultural destination.

RELATED STORIES: Discover more Norwegian architecture and design on Archipanic.

Designed by Arne Korsmo and Sverre Aasland, two leading figures in Norway’s functionalist movement, the original building was completed in 1935. The modernist architecture used to store up to 15.000 tonnes of grain, boosting the economy and shaping the history of the Norwegian town.

The silo in October 1936 – Photo by Statsarkivet / Agderbilder.no, courtesy of Kunstsilo.

The 8,500 sqm rehabilitation and transformation project houses three floors entirely dedicated to Nordic creativity, ranging from painting to sculpture, craftsmanship, textile and graphic design. Visitors can also explore the world’s largest private collection of Scandinavian art, canvases by Munch, digital art experiences and international touring exhibitions.

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“The building’s focus remains the still visible grain silos which act as a central navigation point for the visitor.” The architects cut out the cylinders to create a vast 21-metre-high entrance hall that recalls cathedrals filled with natural light. Other cylinders around the edge have been sliced in half lengthwise, leaving a semi-circle of tube.

Around it are non-identical galleries with cross walls. Openings puncture the silo walls to provide views into the main atrium, helping visitors to orientate themselves. A wow-factor spiralling stair connects the floors. On top of the building, a new glass-covered bar and event spaces offer expansive views of the bay and archipelago below.

The architects have added a boxy, metal-clad volume at the back of the building. The new spaces house exhibitions, workshops, and a lift for artwork. The east side facade was covered with corrugated white aluminium, referencing the form of cylindrical silos.

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The Kunstsilo project was born when Norwegian tycoon Nicolai Tangen donated his private art collection to the city of Kristiansand. “This cathedral of art in Kristiansand provides the perfect home for the Tangen Collection. I wanted to give the art to a place that is important to me and seeing it across the walls of Kunstsilo in my home city is a wonderful experience.”

The Tangen Collection, the world’s largest one for Nordic contemporary art, comprises 5,500 artworks by 300 Scandinavian artists, including Reidar Aulie, Asger Jorn, Lars-Gunnar Nordström and Anna-Eva Bergman. Kunstilo also houses pieces from the Sørlandets Kunstmuseum; paintings by Edward Munch are also on display.

The architects won an international competition in 2016. From the jury report: “The project strikes an elegant balance by combining respect for the qualities of the silo building with an imaginative attitude to the inherently sculptural and special experiences it offers.”

All Kunstsilo Museum of Contemporary Art photos are by ©Alan Williams Photography, unless stated otherwise – courtesy of Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, BAX and Mendoza Partida.