Stockholm’s 10 Contemporary Art Galleries You Should Visit

Housed in a 1930s warehouse at the capital’s old free port, Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art has a large exhibition area of around 1,500 square meters. It uses this space to present ambitious shows for mid-career internationally established artists, like Irish sculptor Siobhán Hapaska. Since its beginnings in 1987, Magasin III has also developed a private collection of over 600 works, including many pieces from artists it has showcased over the years. Two of its galleries are dedicated to displaying works from this permanent collection. In the last few years, Magasin III has further expanded its scope to include lectures, talks, and collaborations with other art institutions as founding members of FACE.

The Art Nouveau building containing Fotografiska, formerly an old customs house, was designed by acclaimed Swedish architect Ferdinand Boberg. Today, it is home to one of the best photography museums in Scandinavia. Every year the museum stages between 15 and 20 major exhibitions, which have presented internationally renowned photographers, including Swedes Helena Blomqvist and Klara Källström. Photography shows at Fotografiska explore many different themes, such as Roger Ballen’s black and white depictions of human or animal absurdity, and Sebastião Salgado’s images of parts of the world that have escaped modern civilization. Visitors to Fotografiska can also enjoy after-hours music events and excellent views of Stockholm from its dining spaces.

Since 1995 Färgfabriken has acted as an exciting platform for art, architecture and urban development. It explores these subjects, and their role in society, through exhibitions, seminars, discussions and workshops. Färgfabriken’s large exhibition hall in Stockholm is the venue for shows like the recent retrospective spanning the 50-year career of the multi-talented Carl Johan De Geer, but it also hosts concerts, dance performances, and solo shows for winners of the Beckers Art Award, which champions innovative contemporary art. In addition to organizing national and international exhibitions, Färgfabriken often collaborates on urban projects in other parts of the world.

In 1993, after working in the New York art scene, Charlotte Lund opened her own gallery in Stockholm. In its early years, the gallery focused on showing the work of well-established photographers but has since broadened its scope to include all fine art media. In 2009 Galleri Charlotte Lund opened a 200 square-meter exhibition space at the top of an industrial building in the popular art district of the capital. In this new location, the gallery has hosted many exhibitions, such as photo and video works by Maria Friberg, one of Sweden’s most established artists. Friberg’s shows have highlighted modern-day dilemmas, like new communication technologies leading to increased isolation, and the feeling of ‘drowning’ in noise pollution.