Bjarke Ingels Bridges Art and Nature with a New Exhibition Space

With his dual skyscrapers that “dance with each other” nearing completion along New York’s Highline, Bjarke Ingels is set to unveil another corkscrew design in Jevnaker, Norway. The Danish architect and his firm, the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), were contracted by the Kistefos Museum and Sculpture Park, an arts organization founded by Norwegian businessman Christen Sveaas, to design an over 3,000-square-foot exhibition space that crosses the Randselva river. Called The Twist, the “inhabitable bridge,” as Ingels calls it, takes its cues from the surrounding idyllic woodland estate.

“We were instantly fascinated by the dramatic landscape of Kistefos—the winding river, forested riverbanks, and steep topography,” Ingels says, also noting the structure’s opposing entryways on each side. “Our proposal acts like a second bridge in the sculpture park, forming a continuous loop across both riverbanks.”

The complex will open to the public on Sept. 18 with Hodgkin and Creed – Inside Out, a retrospective that juxtaposes the works of Howard Hodgkin and Martin Creed. “Pairing these artists takes us beyond a lyrical reading of Hodgkin’s oeuvre, which spans eight decades, and allows us to reconsider it in the context of contemporary art practice,” curator Guy Robertson says. “At the same time, it focuses our attention on the essential expressionist character of Creed’s work.”

After this inaugural showcase, The Twist will continue to display short-term Norwegian and international exhibitions, which complements the heritage of the site and should become another attraction to lure visitors to the forest outside Oslo. “Our ambition is to make Kistefos a must-see cultural destination,” Sveaas says.