Bergen 5015
Norway
Hours: Tuesday–Wednesday and Friday–Sunday 11am–5pm
Thursday 11am–8pm
T +47 940 15 050
bergen@kunsthall.no
The Board of Bergen Kunsthall, a leading contemporary art gallery in Bergen, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kjersti Solbakken as its new Director. Kjersti Solbakken brings a wealth of experience and a passion for contemporary art to this role. She started in the position on October 1, 2024.
Kjersti Solbakken, born in 1984 in Valnesfjord, has worked as a freelance curator, writer, and institutional leader, previously based in Oslo, Norway. Solbakken was assigned as curator of Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF) 2024, organised by the North Norwegian Art Centre.
From 2017 to 2022, she served as the Director of Kunstnerforbundet, one of Scandinavia's oldest artist-run exhibition spaces. With a program of over 20 exhibitions annually, she oversaw the establishment of Atelier Kunstnerforbundet, a studio collective and network of art enthusiasts focused on engaging the public in the centre of Oslo.
Solbakken has been appointed Director of Galleri Format and Fotogalleriet. She has curated exhibitions for various institutions, including Hordaland Kunstsenter, Vestlandsutstillingen, and Astrup Fearnley Museet.
As an active initiator in the self-organised field, she has contributed to the establishment of platforms such as Feil forlag and the project space Holodeck and was for a period involved in Tekstallianse—a Nordic festival for micro-publishing and printed matter.
Kjersti Solbakken: "Bergen Kunsthall is a central meeting place with a distinctive 186-year history presenting an ambitious, experimental, and cross-genre program that reaches a wide and engaged audience. The institution plays a unique role in various art contexts nationally and internationally, as well as within Bergen's population and cultural field. This is the outcome of many years of focused work that I am excited to carry on with both current and future partners, an active board, and a knowledgeable staff."
Board leader Jette F. Christensen: "Bergen Kunsthall was looking for a skilled leader who could show how to get the best out of a professionally strong staff. We were looking for a director with a broad international network and an understanding of the institution and its role in Bergen and the world. After a thorough process that involved reviewing 75 applications and conducting multiple rounds of interviews with national and international candidates, we are thrilled to announce that Kjersti Solbakken has accepted the position as our new Director and is relocating to Bergen."
About Bergen Kunsthall
Bergen Kunsthall is a centre for contemporary art and presents exhibitions and events by international artists. Landmark is our vibrant strand of live events, including concerts and club nights. We organise a broad range of learning activities and debates open to everyone. Established as Bergens Kunstforening in 1838, the Kunsthall is based in an early functionalist building designed by the architect Ole Landmark in 1935, with gallery spaces, a café and a bookshop. Bergen Kunsthall is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Bergen and Vestland County.
Current shows
Edgar Calel: Ni Musmut (It's Breezing)
Exhibition
August 30, 2024—January 5, 2025
Åsa Elzén: Notes on a Fallow—The Fogelstad Group and Earth
Exhibition
August 30, 2024—January 5, 2025
Upcoming
Everything Is So Alive!
Group Exhibition
January 24–March 30, 2025
Curated by Nora-Swantje Almes and Silja Leifsdottir
Tori Wrånes
The Festival Exhibition
May 22–August 17, 2025
Bergen Art Book Fair
April 4–6, 2025
Press contact:
Emilio Sanhueza, emilio@kunsthall.no / T +47 99 29 89 84
