Queen Sonja is very interested in art and has just overseen the official opening of a brand new culture house in the city of Trondheim. The exhibitions in the new culture house in Trondheim will have a special focus on modern arts. Behind the new culture house is the visual artist and a good friend of the Queen, Kjell Erik Killi-Olsen.
Queen Sonja has been able to follow the process of a new art house along the way and congratulated the city of Trondheim with a new arena for young art. Following the welcome to the culture house, on November 19th 2021, the Queen got to see the performance work “Shame spiral” by Bolivian-American, Oslo-based Agatha Wara. The Queen also gave a speech in which she said: “Your dream has come true. The life work you have worked on for so many years has been completed. Between these monumental buildings, we have a completely new art house here in Trondheim”.
Queen Sonja also emphasized that it is not often that a completely new art arena is opened in Norway, but emphasized that there is currently a positive wave with the new Munch Museum in Oslo and the new National Museum opening in next summer.
The art house connects the old with the new. It is in a building from the end of the 17th century that is connected with a new building. During the development, great emphasis has been placed on taking care of the old part and at the same time adding something completely new to the area and the city. In connection with the construction process, several interesting archaeological finds were made that have provided new knowledge about the medieval city of Trondheim.
The opening exhibition “It’s Just a Phase” extends over several halls and embraces a wide range of artists. A span of more than a hundred years separates the oldest artist Hannah Ryggen and the youngest Elizabeth Ravn. The exhibition shows different forms of expression, materials and design language from photography, video and painting to Hannah Ryggen’s woven textiles and Isa Genzken’s iconic Nefertiti sculptures.
