Public Art
When the rays of the spring sun break through the heavy blanket that has covered us the whole winter it is befitting to take a walk through the centre of town. If your heart feels heavy; when you feel full of vitality or just want some cultural flare: Why not treat yourself to an Art excursion? The public art in Falkenberg is close by and very accessible. Perhaps you will find gems you have missed before?
Himlajord (Heavenly Earth) Tore Heby, 1977
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Have you, like many inhabitants of Falkenberg, been scared stiff at exactly 12 noon? If so, you have probably been standing just by the Town Hall (Stadshuset). Just on the corner of the building sits Tore Heby’s sculpture “Himlajord”, inspired by the story of Gustaf Löfgren in the acclaimed national poet Evert Taube’s song. Löfgren was born in Falkenberg, went to sea and ended up in Australia. Every day, at 12 noon, the bells on the south-facing facade chime out the song Himlajord.
Salami and Zulamith, Stig Blomberg, 1965
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A thousand years they labored with unfaltering faith and might,
And thus the Milky Way; was built a shining bridge of light,
Which spans the highest vault of heaven, the zodiac bridges o’er,
Across the boundless sea of space, connecting shore to shore.
So reads the Finnish-Swedish poet Zacharias Topelius poem The Milky Way from 1852 (translated by C.W. Foss in Masterpieces from Swedish literature in English form. Rock Island, Ill.: Augustana Book Concern.) In the sculpture in the middle of the fountain, the two are joined together again.
Mamma (Mum), Annika Bryngelsson, 2022
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This work of art is a celebration of the single mother and created in a combination of print and painting on cement based tiles, placed visibly on the facade of the block of flats called Repslagaren in Holgersgatan in the centre of Falkenberg. This is how the artist herself describes her work: “Mum, the everyday Madonna, with a kid on her hip and grocery bags in her fist. Always present in the public space – put nevertheless somewhat invisible.
On this wall I would like to celebrate all heroines. She can let go of her grocery bag and take up the space of a whole wall. A little tired, not trying to fawn. She hasn’t even had time to put her hair in a ponytail. She has just picked the kids up from daycare. But on this great wall she takes a break from the grocery bags. Now it’s her turn to take up space. She catches a breath, maybe two, before she rushes home to cook the evening meal. It’s a puzzle of life that there is hardly any time to complete, an everyday jigsaw puzzle where the pieces are thrown out on top of each other.”
Lekkontoret (The play office), The Race, 2024
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At the northern end of Söderbron, there is a colorful mural created by a group of children in Falkenberg in collaboration with Lekkontoret, a design studio based in Gothenburg. Lekkontoret’s activities are led by children’s culture designer Catherine Paterson (b. 1993), who in this project worked together with her colleague Luke de Jager (b. 1990).
Skattvårdeskan (The Treasure Guardian), Bernard Andersson 1965
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By the ruins of Falkenberg Castle there is a sculpture in bronze and granite named Skattvårderskan, that depicts the legend of the Maiden of Ätran.
Samverkan (Ensemble), Lars Lindekrantz, 1994
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A young boy and girl dance to the tune of the flute of a friend. Together they make a successful ensemble.
Stubben (The Stump), Lisa Burenius och Jennie Blomkvist, Fbgs:s Montessori School, 2019
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What is public art and who decides the rules about the public spaces of the town? Those were questions that 10-year-olds from Falkenberg Montessori School were contemplating together with the artists Lisa Burenius and Jennie Blomkvist. The pupils decided to write strengthening affirmations and prompts in different languages and make the tree stump a natural meeting place by placing a bench around the tree.
Spöfiskaren (The Angler), Sven Ljungberg, 1992
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In this three story high mural Sven Ljungberg (1913-2010) put attention to the importance of the fishing industry, recreational fishing and the salmon smoking to Falkenberg.
Stellan Bengtsson, Martina Falkehag Kinn, 2006
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The Falkenberg born that shocked the whole world when he became the table tennis world champion in 1971, only 19 years old, needs no further presentation. The statue of him was unveiled in 2006, is made of bronze and made by the local artist Martina Falkehag Kinn.
Murstensskulptur (Brick sculpture), Per Kirkeby, 1997
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With his brick sculpture the Danish artist Per Kirkeby (1938-2018) has created a secluded space, a defined square that could be filled with activities or make space for contemplation. The sunshine on the brick walls create a changing play of light and shadow during the daylight hours. This sculpture was part of the outdoor art’s festival Sculptura 1997.
Grön fru (Green Lady), Jennifer Forsberg, 2019
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The Green Lady glides into the Bathhouse Park, as if carrying herself, green mottled with yellow specks. The placing of the statue is carefully chosen, turned towards the bath house, into the park. In the artist eyes this is a celebration of greenery, the environment and what is good. The sculpture is made of patinated bronze.
De levandes cirkel (The Circle of the Living), Eric Theret, 1997
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The appreciated chairs from the Circle of the Living were part of the outdoor exhibition Sculptura 1997. Originally the work consisted of 12 chairs. Today the remaining granite chairs form a meeting place in Rörbeck’s square’s north-east corner.
Urban hällristning (Urban Rock Carving), Lisa Burenius och Jennie Blomkvist 2020
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The council owned housing company FABO and the RIAN design museum commissioned the artists Lisa Burenius and Jennie Blomqvist (who are also the creators of “The Stump” in the Bathhouse park) to adorn the crossing between Torggatan and Holgersgatan. This is what Lisa Burenius said in an interview in FABO’s magazine Hemkänsla at the time:
“Art should be something that you can touch, walk on and take pictures of. Then it is public and accessible. The thought behind that the stones should be low or on the ground is to use the position that many all too often take today, that is looking down on their phones. In that same position you can read the inscriptions on the stones, snap a photo or search for the words or expressions you don’t understand.”
Konfimanderna (The Confirmands), Nils Erik Nilsson, 1956
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South of the St Laurentii Church, that originates from the 14th century, is the park and the rose garden in the middle of Falkenberg’s oldest parts that consist of wooden buildings. The artist Nils Erik Nilsson’s (1903-1982) embodiment of three young girls catches, by its fixed composition and the stylized figures, the seriousness of the sacrament of confirmation.
Bryggeriaktiebolaget Falken (The Brewery Falken, Ltd) mural, Linda Qvarford
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The property owner Marcus Nilsson commissioned the mural from Linda Qvarford when the wall was reconditioned. Fittingly, the old brewery used to be situated on that same block, so the mural certainly belongs in this street.
Hon väntar alltid (She waits, always), Klara Kristalova, 2013
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The artist herself has described her group of sculptures as “a small magical world”. Her idea has been that the place should invite movement, play and wait and also contrast the other surroundings in the square.
Ätran, (The River Ätran) Leo Janis-Brieditis, 1990
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In the art dense Badhusparken the work Ätran is found. Made out of stainless steel it mirrors the changing seasons. The sculpture indicates a movement, like a swirl around a taut line.
Drömbanken (The Bank of Dreams), Walter Bengtsson, 1977
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Headstrong and passionate are words that describe the multi-talented sculptor Walter Bengtsson (1927-1998) from Halmstad. The Bank of Dreams, made of painted and patinated bronze and copper is burlesque and inspired by folk art. The artist shows everything savings can bring. But behind the first humorous appearance there is a seriousness, something that was never far off in his monumental works. The different levels depict different life stages: The first home, love and marriage, children, retirement – in other words the dreams of life.
Associativa Utflykter (Associative Excursions), Daniel “EKTA” Götesson, 2022
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Former Falkenberg resident Daniel Götesson has made the big mural that adorns his old upper secondary school.
Enhet 1 & 2 (Unit 1 & 2), Pål Svensson, 1997
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The sculpture Enhet 1 & 2 is made out of gneiss from the Halland region and builds on contrasts; a darker wet surface facing a lighter, dry. Together they form a unity of these opposites. From the outdoor art festival Sculptura 1997.
Historisk kavalkad (Historical Cavalcade), Erik Olson, 1959
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The historical cavalcade deck the facade you pass on your way into the town Council Hall. The work, made out of copper metal work, depicts the development of the Falkenberg township, starting in the mediaeval fishing industry, shipping and trade. The artist Erik Olson was a member of the acclaimed group of artists known as the Halmstadgruppen.
Laxbrunnen (The Salmon Well), Bernard Andersson, 1938
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In the sculpture Laxbrunnen, also known as Lax-Kalle, the sculptor Bernard Andersson (1898-1983) from Halmstad, has depicted a little boy who wide-eyed surveys a salmon.
Vattenverk (Waterworks), Pål Svensson, 2001
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The sculptor Pål Svensson (b. 1950) was commissioned to create a boundary of the square to the south-west. Vattenverk is a wall made of granite and a water feature that marks the extension of Rörbecksgatan towards Nygatan. The work is owned by the companies FABO and FAVRAB.
Och så vidare (And so on), Sara Kallioinen Lundgren, 2023
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Sara Kallioinen Lundgren (b. 1993) explores how simple words and expressions often can have a complex and multifaceted meaning. The work “And so on” is made of concrete and revolves around the small abbreviation “etc.” and all the information that can be hidden behind it.
Solbadande sirener (Sunbathing Sirens), Tilda Lovell 2021
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Out of the sea, like a bridge from the subconscious, the flotsams in bronze have formed its wealth of detail and crawled up onto the concrete podium in the Bathhouse park for everyone to see.
Mötet (The Meeting), Göran Jönsson och Taisto Määttänen, 2001
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The artwork Mötet symbolises the river Ätran and mankind. “Water has always been there for mankind. Several are the mirror images that the water has brought.” The work is owned by FABO.
Finsta – Brofästena vid Söderbron (Finsta – the bridge abutments by Söderbron) , Finn Hallin, 2022
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The multifaceted artist Finsta (Finn Hallin, b.1978) is, with his playful and characteristic imagery, one of Europe’s leading contemporary urban artists. He moves between painting, design, music and animation. Leading up to his exhibition at the Rian Design Museum in spring 2023, he claimed the abutment of the bridge Söderbron.
Svarta fönster (Black windows), Rudolf Shäfer 1997
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The polished surfaces of the three natural stones in black diabase, according to the artist, form windows to the past. From Sculptura 1997.
Don’t you get enough of art? Rian Design Museum has even more information about the art in Falkenberg, both indoors and outdoors. Visit their website or download their art brochure for even more cultural experiences.