ROM – exploring the art of inclusion

By Eva-Kristin U. Pedersen

The Norwegian foundation ROM for kunst og arkitektur is expanding the borders of art and architecture through exploration and experimentation.

Imagine you are going to a vernissage in your favourite gallery. There are only a few minutes to go and everyone is swirling around outside in their smart clothes and champagne in hand, excited to see the exhibition. As the doors open, people flock impatiently to the entrance. You get in line as well but are soon struck with disappointment. All the art is ubicated on the second floor, but the stairway is closed and nobody is allowed to access.

That is more or less how the ROM exhibition I’m sorry if my disability causes you any inconvenience, by Anja Tveiterås and Fredrik Thorsen Alden’s art duo FAT, was organised.

Their reorganisation of the exhibition space to make a very precise comment on accessibility politics is a good example of what ROM is and does (rom means space in Norwegian).

“Art and architecture benefits from the perspectives of people with disabilities but too little is done institutionally to make that possible. That’s where we come into the picture,” says Gjertrud Steinsvåg, ROM’s director.

Photo: Jon Benjamin Tallerås

20 years anniversary, 40 years of history

Steinsvåg explains that ROM in its present form and with its present location, in Maridalsveien 3 in Oslo, was created 20 years ago. However, its roots go back almost 40 years, to Galleri ROM – a gallery created by a group of young architects who wanted to explore the crossroads between architecture and other art forms in order to create new synergies that might break with the established dogmas of Norwegian architecture. Among others, the architects behind the famous architectural studio Snøhetta were involved with Galleri ROM.

With time, Gallery ROM merged with the Institute for Spatial Art (Institutt for Romkunst), a foundation with links to various educational institutions and professional organisations within architecture and the arts. The foundation’s purpose was to research and explore issues related to art and public space, including for example the use of colours, environmental concerns and problems connected with adornments.

Today’s ROM builds on both traditions from the gallery and the foundation to further explore the links between architecture, art and public space through educational projects, publications and exhibitions. “Our mission is to experiment and explore what hasn’t been done before,” Steinsvåg says.

Photo: Frank Holtschlag

Pushing the borders of what is standard

She stresses that while the language Galleri ROM and Institutt for romkunst used 40 years ago remains the same, the artistic expressions have changed.

“We explore the frontiers of current artistic forms and create something new that might get picked up on by larger, established institutions and slowly but steadily gets standardised and included into our perception of what established art and architecture forms are,” Steinsvåg says, adding that within the arts, experimental work is much more easily done by small actors. “The large institutions cannot take the risks that we can – their cost is too high if they fail,” she points out.

A unique summer school

ROM was awarded the 2025 Oslo Open Award of Honour for its commitment to accessibility and pluralism in the arts — an area in which the organisation continues to play an active role. Starting this autumn, ROM embarks on a collaboration with the Bergen School of Architecture (BAS) to further the 2023-2025 pilot project; a summer school for young artists with disabilities.

“It’s a unique project that combines artistic expression with education in order to help young artists find their voice,” Steinsvåg explains, adding that the teachers at the summer school also live with disabilities. The collaboration with BAS ensures that the innovative summer school, the first of its kind in Norway, will continue for at least three years.

Other up and coming projects at ROM include a Christmas exhibition called The architects’ drawings, whereby architects submit their drawings which in turn are displayed in ROM’s gallery. The income of the exhibition is donated to Architects Without Borders Norway, a humanitarian organisation that focuses on sustainable architecture and urban planning to build lasting spaces that support inclusion, diversity and fairer communities around the world.

Whatever project ROM takes on, the concepts of exploration and invention are central. It is a unique space where pushing limits is not only allowed but encouraged as a vehicle for progress, not just for the arts but for society as a whole.