Art Center at 78 Degrees North

On Sunday, the art center Nordover (Northwards) opened in Longyearbyen on Svalbard. The art center houses both a gallery, a youth club, a self-governing youth center and a cinema.

The art center Nordover will also be the new home of the Kåre Tveter collection and through collaboration with the Nordnorsk (North Norwegian) art museum, Nordover will have a vibrant program with exhibitions of international standard at 78 degrees north.

According to the press release from Longyearbyen local government, the name Nordover springs from stories from the local community and Longyearbyen's unique purpose and tradition. Nordover will remind of a journey to the north, which both visitors and permanent residents must make to get to the new art center in the middle of Longyearbyen.

"Nordover will make sure to offer the local community and visitors a lively program with interesting and inspiring exhibitions, art experiences and other events. Nordover is centrally located and should be a pillar of the local community", says Are Nundal, unit manager for culture and sports in Longyearbyen local government.

The opening exhibition "Dilemma" consists of Sami and Norwegian artists, as well as a Kven artist who, through art, problematizes the challenges that people face in our time, which particularly applies to the environment, ecological degradation and climate challenges.