Lofoten International Art Festival: Scandinavia’s longest-running art biennial

By Malin Norman | Photos: North Norwegian Art Centre / Kjell Ove Storvik

Lofoten International Art Festival, an award-winning biennial for contemporary art in Northern Norway, is a vibrant meeting place for artists, curators, and audiences. The next edition will take place in 2027, with an extensive programme yet to be announced.

The varied programme, which is free to attend for everyone, includes exhibitions, performances, artist talks and lectures, concerts and workshops. Over the years, Lofoten International Art Festival (LIAF) has presented artists such as Gillian Wearing, Olafur Eliasson, Tori Wrånes, Mari Slaattelid, Kanwar, David Horvitz, Mahmoud Khaled, Karl Larsson, Shilpa Gupta, Lisa Tan, and many more.

“LIAF is the longest-running art biennial in Scandinavia,” says Karolin Tampere, artist, curator and chair of the festival’s steering committee. “It’s an ongoing collaborative process of artistic expression, creativity and human connection – an influential international festival yet with an intimate atmosphere.”

Founded in 1991, LIAF has become a key event in the Norwegian art calendar. Since 2009, the festival has been produced by North Norwegian Art Centre, based in Svolvær, Lofoten.

An open and experimental meeting place for local and international artists, contributors, collaborators and audiences, LIAF takes place at different locations in Lofoten each time it is held. “LIAF has a contextual connection to Lofoten. It’s not only placed here; this is where it all started, and the festival has grown from here,” says Tampere. “It’s exciting and perhaps unexpected to discover a place and feel connected to it through contemporary art.”

Tori Wrånes performing Loose Cannon at the 2010 edition of LIAF.

Lofoten and its connection to the world

The 2024 edition, titled SPARKS and curated by Kjersti Solbakken, was inspired by the history of the Lofoten Line: a large-scale national initiative from 1861 which sought to make the Lofoten fishery more efficient. The programme brought together over 25 international artists.

“The biennial delves into Lofoten’s location, nature and history while emphasising the need to connect with the rest of the world,” says Hanne Hammer Stien, curator and professor in art history at the Art Academy, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. “Each edition is developed by invited curators with distinct backgrounds, ideas, and approaches.”

LIAF has recently announced the 2027 edition of the festival as well as a new steering committee, which carries the artistic responsibility for the festival’s overall direction and appoints the curator for each edition. This biennial has certainly made its mark on the international art scene, and will no doubt continue to do so.