A Must-See List for Local Art & Design Lovers in Skåne | Sweden
8 GALLERIES, SHOPS & CREATIVE HUBS
Skåne is a province of Sweden, knitted together by green fields, white sandy beaches and lush national parks. It’s also known as the underdog in Sweden for its unique Scandinavian art and design scene. Our knowledge of Skåne was sparse but we were excited to explore this foreign county and see what it had to offer!
After finding out about this creative hub I started my research and discovered the city of Malmö, the biggest city in the county, which is filled with art galleries, street art and an abundance of independent boutiques- the perfect place to get your creative fix.
So this is a list for the art and design lovers of places to visit in Skåne.
Mölle Krukmakeri
Located in Mölle, which is known for its scenic harbour and the Kullaberg Nature Reserve, this cafe not only serves delicious homemade food but also features ceramics by potter Lisa Wohlfart and her talented team. Pop in for a meal in the orangery and admire their craftsmanship as they produce various items like planters, dinner sets and candlesticks which stock their shop.
Filling pubs and restaurants nearby with their dinnerware, their ceramics are in high demand as over 20,000kg of raw clay is transformed into these beautiful pieces each year!
Formargruppen
This unique shop and gallery, based in Malmö, is run and owned by local artists. Everything from jewellery, ceramics, sculptures and textiles are all locally produced in a typical Scandinavian style.
An example of their products are sculptures created by Åsa Canbäck, quirky ceramics by Sanne Dahlström and handcrafted jewellery by Ebba Huberyc.
These intricate ceramics below are by ceramist Karin Meijer, who creates detailed homeware products like light shades, candlesticks and jugs.
Form/Design Centre
Form/Design Centre is a creative hub for Scandinavian design, urban planning and architecture, set on three floors in a 19th-century granary warehouse in Malmö’s old town. Inside the cobbled courtyard, they feature ever-changing exhibitions, a shop and their magazine cafe. Here you can have a coffee in a well-designed mug and a flick through Swedish and international journals. The shop on the third floor showcases artwork from well-known Swedish artists to smaller, independent designers with ceramics, jewellery, books, children’s toys and more.
The courtyard can be easily missed so keep an eye out for signs when in central Malmö!
Handelshuset Starkan
While driving through Kivik, a collection of ceramics in a window caught my eye and we had to stop and see what this outlet had to offer.
Handelshuset Starkan, on the west of Skåne, is a large homeware outlet, selling clothing, textiles, rugs and more.
One of their suppliers is Klässbols Linneväveri, which is a company made up of 40 talented designers who specialise in the craft of a traditional Swedish weaving technique and create beautiful textile pieces for the home.
Other brands include Kardelen, Orrefors Kosta Boda and Broste Copenhagen.
Malmö Konsthall
Malmö Konsthall, located in central Malmö, is one of the biggest exhibition halls in the whole of Europe for contemporary art. They endeavour to show the high-level international artists but also smaller national artists, with around 10 changing exhibitions every year from modernism to current experiments.
Since opening in 1975 they have featured the works of Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, David Shrigley and many more incredible artists.
On our trip we visited Iraqi-American artist, Michael Rakowitz’s exhibition, ‘The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist‘. Rakowitz wanted to preserve memories, stories and artefacts that had been destroyed. So since 2007, he set out to recreate nearly 8,000 historical objects that were looted from the National Museum of Iraq following the war. His aim was to make them with cheap materials like paper mache or plaster, rather than traditional gold or bronze, and then cover them with food packaging or Arabic newspapers to reflect their relationship with day-to-day life.
Up and coming exhibitions include ‘Sun & Sea’, a Lithuanian opera performance by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė and a joint exhibition by Ragna Bley and Inger Ekdahl of their paintings.
Both of these museums are free. If you’d like to discover more free things to do in Skåne check out our article ‘Skåne, Sweden- Our Top 10 Free Things to do’
AB Småland
Sweden is known for their design and their fika. So at AB Småland they have combined both together. AB Småland has a ‘Greener Lifestyle’ concept with a shop and cafe, and I’ll warn you, you could spend hours in here!
With two floors, it’s a maze of plants, vintage furniture, clothing and more. Every product is handpicked, sustainable and beautiful.
Their ‘ambition is to offer an inspiring meeting place with a creative atmosphere where everyone feels welcome’. So AB Småland is the perfect spot in the city to shop, hang out and enjoy the creativities they have to offer.
Designtorget
Designtorget is a Swedish chain, with 11 stores around the country. Designtorget literally means ‘Design Market’ in Swedish and offers a marketplace for them to introduce their work to the market.
They sell products from internationally known designers like Björn Dahlström, known for his furniture and industrial design to smaller designers like Amanda Tunved, who creates beautifully hand-crafted ceramics.
I loved all the dinnerware by Catharina Kippel, with her intricate illustrations, they have a real retro feel to them. I also loved these slogan mugs with witty captions by Design House Stockholm.
Moderna Museet Malmö
Moderna Museet Malmö is a modern and contemporary art museum. Housed in a 20th-century electricity plant, the striking red building has had a recent redevelopment by award-winning architects Tham & Videgård showcasing the merge of old and new architecture at its finest.
Offering rotating exhibitions and collections from some of the most famous artists in the modern art world like Andy Warhol and Piet Mondrian, and more local Swedish artists like Siri Derkert and Hilma af Klint.
Our trip to Skåne was in partnership with Visit Skåne, who we went on assignment with to explore Skåne for 4 days, capturing the most beautiful spots and destinations along the way.
Find out more about Skåne at VisitSkane.com!
