Artists transform Hestøya island into outdoor museum for land art in Norway

This autumn, five artists from Norway, Belgium, India, Denmark, and Scotland have been residing and working on the small island of Hestøya near the town of Lund in Namsos municipality. Project leaders Maria Bruun and Renata Maiblum aim to transform the island into an outdoor museum dedicated to “land art” over the coming years.

“The idea is for the artworks to become part of a larger collection of ‘land art’ on the island,” Bruun explains. This unique location has attracted artists from around the globe, with over 70 applying to the project this year, of which five were selected. The leadership of the art project has rented Hestøya for a decade, situated right by the scenic Kystriksveien, a popular summer tourist route along the coast.

Land art is a modern art movement that emerged in the late 1960s, where artists work with nature, often creating temporary installations like patterns in snow or on fields. Internationally recognized figures in this genre include Richard Long.

The project stands out because it utilizes the entire island for this specific type of art. Bruun emphasizes the uniqueness of having a whole island dedicated to such creations. By the end of October, visitors will be invited to Hestøya for a guided tour showcasing the artists’ works. Plans for a digital map to mark the installations in the terrain are underway as well.

The artists are embracing their surroundings—such as Danish artist Bjørg Dyg Nielsen, who installed a glass globe between two tree trunks. In the forest, artist Leif Inge Xi is crafting wooden spheres with a chainsaw, while Scottish artist Mary Bourne is chiseling bowl-shaped depressions into granite, creating reflective pools that mirror the sky.

Bruun and Maiblum hope that Hestøya evolves into an art island that attracts visitors, particularly due to its proximity to the heavily trafficked coastal road, Kystriksveien. They have secured financial support for the current artistic residency and envision future collaborations reliant on continued funding.