The Norwegian Sculptors Society (Norsk Billedhoggerforening), Bodø2024 and Bodø Municipality seek five artists for KUNSTKANTEN: a new and unique outdoor exhibition arena in Bodø. In 2024 we will establish five art spots – platforms for art – that enter into dialogue with a city and a society undergoing change.
Bodø has for 70 years shared space with the military air base Bodø Main Air Station. The city has developed along the shoreline, with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. Bodø is constantly on the move, and there will be big changes in the next decade. When the military air base closes, a new part of the city, and the Bodø of the future, will be developed. KUNSTKANTEN extends along historical and social lines: from prehistoric memories, through the city’s establishment, to reconstruction after the Second World War and recent times as ‘aeroplane city’ Bodø. KUNSTKANTEN gives artists an opportunity to engage in a dialogue about urban development, social development and identity. KUNSTKANTEN is a unique investment in art in public space. Fresh funds have been made available in order for art to play a key role in the city’s history of change.
The Competition's Form
The project provides financial support for five new works that will be installed in September 2024. To participate in the competition, please send sketches and a project description explaining details in the realisation of your project. Each contestant can send a maximum of three proposals for new works. Production funding is 350.000 Norwegian kroner (NOK) for each of the five selected works. We also pay 50.000 NOK in remuneration per work for the exhibition period, which is two years. The artworks remain the property of the artists. KUNSTKANTEN is part of the programme for Bodø as a European Capital of Culture in 2024.
Competition Conditions
- Your competition proposal must take the form of a sketch. See below for more information on sketch requirements.
- The proposal must relate to Bodø by being linked, in one way or another, to the city’s expansion and history of change.
- Five locations on the city’s coastal path are currently being established. All the locations, except Molorota, will have a foundation of concrete modules (4 x 4 m), either flush with the ground level or 10–20 cm above it.
- The concrete modules mark the outdoor exhibition spaces and provide an even platform on which to mount the artworks. The artworks nevertheless need not be limited by the platform size; they can extend beyond it and/or be situated on an edge or corner or to the side of the platform, but then, in one form or another, in dialogue with it. If a work extends beyond the platform by more than 2m in each direction, or if it requires an intervention in the surrounding nature, this must be clarified in advance and approved by the jury. The locations for the sculptures will be pre-approved by the municipality for a sculpture size of up to 6 x 6 m.
- You can apply to have your sculpture placed at a specific location, or you can let the choice remain open. The jury can choose to assign you a different location than the one you request.
- Applicants commit themselves to completing the work and having it ready for mounting in Bodø by 12 August 2024.
- The works remain the property of the artists, but during the exhibition period, possible sales will be handled by the Norwegian Sculptors Society.
- All works must have a permanent character and tolerate being outdoors for at least two years.
- There is no possibility to mount works that require electricity or water, or works that include sound.
- KUNSTKANTEN will be accessible to the public 24 hours a day and in all kinds of weather. The concrete modules are suitable for all artistic expressions that tolerate this level of accessibility.
Deadline: 07 August
Apply here
