Sculpture

Marianne Heske is the sculptor of the year 2023

Kistefos is pleased to announce Marianne Heske as sculptor of the year. Heske has worked as an artist for over 40 years, and is considered a leading figure in Norwegian conceptual art. The bronze sculpture Blue, which will be available to the public from Thursday 17 August, is a continuation of Heske's work with the doll's head, a recurring motif in her art since the 1970s.

Skulptur I, 2022, Tone Vigeland. Photo: Vegard Kleven.

August 2022: New sculpture by Norwegian artist Tone Vigeland unveiled

- We are deeply honored that Tone Vigeland accepted the challenge of creating a site-specific work for Kistefos. Vigeland is one of Norway's most renowned artists and it is a great pleasure to be able to unveil this beautiful sculpture as work number 51 in the sculpture park, says director at Kistefos, Birgitte Espeland.

Pierre Huyghe is the artist of the year 2022

As the 50th artwork to be included in the park, a new site-specific work by French artist Pierre Huyghe (b.1962, Paris) was unveiled on June 12th. Titled Variants, the vast permanent work is the artist's largest site-specific work to date and the most ambitious to ever be conceived for Kistefos.

Portrait of Ida Ekblad in front of A DEADLY SLUMBER OF ALL FORCES (2021). Photo: Jacqueline Landvik, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Peder Lund.

August 2021: New monumental sculpture by Ida Ekblad

Ida Ekblad is one of Norway's most renowned contemporary artists and we are proud to present a new site-specific work by til artist in the sculpture park. The work, A DEADLY SLUMBER OF ALL FORCES, is located in the terrain outside The Twist at the artist's own request. The sculpture is a monumental hand-painted sculpture and the largest and most important sculptural work of the artist to date.

Weiner portrait robin martin 20131 — Lawrence Weiner. Photo: Robin Martin

August 2020: Lawrece Weiner

Weiner visited Kistefos in the winter of 2016 and prepared four new texts, especially for Kistefos. His text-based work is installed on 2 façades of the Kistefoss II waterworks and is a direct response to Kistefos’ rich industrial history.

May 2021: Carol Bove is the sculptor of the year

American artist Carol Bove (b. 1971) has made a monumental, site-specific work for Kistefos that was unveiled at the museum's season-opening on 23rd May. The work PASANASAP is made from steel, the artist's favoured material of recent years, and is indicative of her signature form and style.

Get to know this year´s sculpture

Shine-of-Life-Yayoi-Kusama — Yayoi Kusama, Shine of Life, 2019. Kistefos. © YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/Shanghai and Victoria Miro, London/Venice. © YAYOI KUSAMA. Photo: Einar Aslaksen

May 2019: Yayoi Kusama - Shine of Life

Yayoi Kusama was the main sculptor in 2019. Her work Shine of Life was officially unveiled at the opening of the park in May 2019. Rising from the water inlet of the mill, this work’s swirling tentacles are a monumental example of Kusama’s obsession with pattern and color.

Get dotty!

Kistefos EA Elmgreen and Dragset Points of View Part211111 — Points of View - Part 2 by Elmgreen & Dragset. The sculpture was commissioned for the opening of The Twist. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Kistefos EA Tony Oursler 0011 web — Scat Skat Skatt by Tony Oursler. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Kistefos EA Mark Manders 15707 — From the installation Silent Studio by Mark Manders - one of five new artworks at Kistefos in 2019. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

2019: Six new sculptures

In 2019, the park expanded with as much as six new permanent sculptures! Get to know the park's newcomers made by Yayoi Kusama, Elmgreen & Dragset, Tony Oursler, Giuseppe Penone and Mark Manders.

Kistefos EA Tony Cragg Castor and Pollux 0025 — Castor & Pullox is one of four Tony Cragg-artworks at Kistefos. It tells the story about the twins Castor and Pollux from Roman mythology, who were immortalized and united in the sky as two stars. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Kistefos EA Jeppe Hein Path of Silence 0072 — Path of Silence by Jeppe Hein is a favorite of many - including the children, who use it as a fountain in it in the summer. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Tony Cragg Articulated Column — Articulated Column is one of four sculptures by Tony Cragg. This one was unveiled in 2001. Photo: Frederic Boudin

Sculpture park of international standing

The scenic Kistefos Sculpture Park has an impressive collection of works by internationally renowned contemporary artists including Yayoi Kusama, Tony Cragg, Claes Oldenburg, Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, Fernando Bottero and Elmgreen & Dragset.