Press release: Planned exhibitions are postponed

Due to the corona virus, Konstmuseet i Norr is closed for the time being, which means that the two planned exhibitions, Voices from the Arctic and Kiruna Forever, will be postponed until the museum re-opens.

Konstmuseet i Norr’s management has already taken the decision to postpone exhibitions and keep the museum closed until further notice. This is with reference to the fact that the museum is a tourist attraction that shares building with Kiruna’s municipal administration. Although people do not meet closely at the museum, the closure is a safety measure to reduce the risk of the corona virus spreading among the municipality's employees, which could affect the community's functions.

“It is important for Konstmuseet i Norr to protect our artists, collaborators and employees. We regret that this affects our audience and our participating artists and would like to express our care and concern for those who are more severely affected than we are,” said Selma Green, Museum Director at Konstmuseet i Norr.

During the period when the museum is closed to visitors, the event “Transitions” with Jenny Nordmark will be realised as planned. This cross-county art project offers large outdoor areas for spectators, the opportunity to access the art also digitally, as well as good conditions for interaction in social media. The event, which took place for the first time in late summer 2019, has been in public demand and can be implemented despite the current situation. The release of the red orb will take place on May 2 from the riverbank in Jukkasjärvi, where the spring flood will bring the orb along the Torne River towards the sea, to the delight of local people along the entire river.

Visits to Konstmuseet i Norr is free to the public, and the museum’s finances are thus not dependent on admission fees. Konstmuseet i Norr sees it as its mission to both take care of its staff and to redistribute the budget, so that the work will benefit the public and the audience when the museum can open again. According to Konstmuseet i Norr’s social mandate, the museum’s activities shall be displayed and conducted digitally, and this aspect will be focused on during this special period.

Konstmuseet i Norr closely follows advice from the relevant authorities and adapts to the prevailing circumstances.

"The decision to postpone the exhibitions is the only right thing to do, and we will continue our mission responsibly, both during and after this crisis in society," said Tomas Vedestig, Chairman of Konstmuseet i Norr.

The exhibition Voices from the Arctic is presented in collaboration with the Cerny Inuit Foundation, while Kiruna Forever is a collaboration with ArkDes, Sweden's national centre for architecture and design in Stockholm. The intention was to run the exhibition Kiruna Forever parallel in Kiruna and Stockholm, but due to prevailing circumstances and restrictions on travel, the collaborating partners do not consider it necessary to open and run the exhibitions at the same time. ArkDes is currently closed but intends to open its exhibition in Stockholm as planned on April 24.

The artists participating in Kiruna Forever will receive their exhibition payments even if the exhibition is postponed. The corona-virus crisis is hitting artists and cultural workers hard, and for Konstmuseet i Norr it is important to fulfil commitments to artists and other collaborators.

Contact Konstmuseet i Norr:

Axel Malmström, Coordinator
axel@konstmuseetinorr.se
+46 70 269 52 20

Selma Green, Museum Director
selma@konstmuseetinorr.se
+46 73 025 67 08
www.konstmuseetinorr.se

About ArkDes:
www.arkdes.se

Download press release as PDF.