Public art in the city center
A walk in the city center is almost always a good idea. Even when something is weighing on your mind, when you’re feeling lively or when you just want to be a bit cultural. Why not treat yourself to an art tour? Public art in Falkenberg is close and very accessible. Maybe you’ll discover some gems you previously missed!
Himlajord, Tore Heby 1977
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Have you, like many Falkenbergers, been terrified at exactly 12 o’clock? Then you have probably been at the City Hall. There stands Tore Heby’s sculpture “Himlajord”, inspired by Gustaf Löfgren in Evert Taube’s song, born in Falkenberg before he went to sea and ended up in Australia. Every day at 12 noon, Himlajord is played by the carillon on the south facade of the City Hall.
Salami and Zulamith, Stig Blomberg 1965
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For a thousand years they built with irresistible faith
and so the Milky Way was built a radiant starry bridge
embracing the highest vault of heaven and the orbit of the zodiac
And binds together strand by strand the ocean of space
So says Zacharias Topelius in his poem The Milky Way from 1852. With the fountain sculpture, the two are together again.
Mom, Annika Bryngelson, 2022
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The artwork is a tribute to the single mother and is made in a combination of print and painting on cement-based tiles that are visible on the facade of the Repslagaren block on Holgersgatan in central Falkenberg. This is how the artist herself describes her work: “Mom, the Madonna of everyday life, with a child on her hip and grocery bags in her fist. Always present in the public space – yet somehow invisible.
With this wall, I want to pay tribute to all heroines. She gets to drop the grocery bag and take up space on an entire wall. She’s a bit tired, she’s not smiling. She hasn’t even had time to put her hair up in a bun. She’s just picked up the kids from daycare. But on this big wall, she’s taking a break from the grocery bags. Now it’s her turn to take her place. She takes a breath, maybe two, before quickly rushing home to make supper. It’s a puzzle of life that doesn’t quite have time to be put together, an everyday puzzle where the pieces are thrown over each other.”
Lekkontoret, The Race, 2024
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On the north abutment of Söderbron is a colorful mural created by a group of children in Falkenberg in collaboration with Lekkontoret, a design studio based in Gothenburg. Lekkontoret is led by children’s culture designer Catherine Paterson (b. 1993), who worked on this project with colleague Luke de Jager (b. 1990).
The treasure trove, Bernard Andersson 1965
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Next to the ruins of Borgen Falkenberg stands a sculpture in
bronze and granite, Skattvårderskan, which depicts the legend of
The Maiden of Aether.
Collaboration, Lars Lindekrantz 1994
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A young boy and girl dance to a friend’s flute playing. Together they have a successful collaboration.
Stubben, Lisa Burenius and Jennie Blomkvist, Fbgs:s montessoriskola 2019
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What is public art and who decides over the city’s public spaces? These were questions that fourth graders from Falkenberg’s Montessori School had to ponder, together with artists Lisa Burenius and Jennie Blomkvist. The pupils decided to write words of encouragement in different languages and make the tree a natural meeting place by placing a bench around it.
The angler, Sven Ljungberg 1992
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In the three-storey wall decoration, Sven Ljungberg (1913-2010) highlighted the importance of commercial fishing, recreational fishing and salmon smoking for Falkenberg.
Stellan Bengtsson, Martina Falkehag Kinn, 2006
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The son of Falkenberg who shocked the world when he became world champion in table tennis in 1971 at the age of 19 needs no introduction. His statue, unveiled in 2006, is in bronze and made by Falkenberg artist Martina Falkehag Kinn.
Brick sculpture, Per Kirkeby 1997
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With his brick sculpture, Danish artist Per Kirkeby (1938-2018) has created a secluded place, a delimited square that can be filled with activities or provide space for contemplation. The sun on the brick walls creates a changing play of light and shadow during the daylight hours. From Sculptura 1997.
Green wife, Jennifer Forsberg 2019
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Green Lady strides into Badhusparken, seemingly carrying herself, mottled green with yellowish elements. The placement of the sculpture is carefully chosen, facing the bathhouse, on the way into the park. For the artist, it is a tribute to green, to nature and to what is good. The sculpture is made of patinated bronze.
From the big sandwich cake, Joel Stuart-Beck, 2024
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From the Great Sandwich Cake by artist Joel Stuart Beck is located on the Lax Promenade along the River Ätran. The work celebrates the city’s rich ceramic heritage and the countless generations of potters who have contributed to this tradition in their potteries and brickworks. The work was created in collaboration with Årstad’s very temporary art gallery.
The circle of the living, Eric Theret 1997
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The esteemed chairs from the Circle of the Living were part of Sculptura 1997. Originally, the work consisted of 12 chairs. Today, the granite chairs together form a meeting place in the north-east corner of the square.
Urban rock carving, Lisa Burenius and Jennie Blomkvist 2020
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FABO and RIAN commissioned Lisa Burenius and Jennie Blomqvist (who are also behind “Stubben” in the bathhouse park) to decorate the intersection at Torggatan/Holgersgatan. This is what Lisa Burenius said in an interview with FABO’s magazine “Hemkänsla” at the time:
“Art should be touchable, walkable and photographable. Then it becomes public and accessible. The idea of the stones being low or lying on the ground is to take advantage of the position many people today too often take, i.e. looking down at the mobile phone. In the same position, you can read what is written on the stones, take photos of it and do a search for the words or expressions you do not understand.
The confirmands, Nils Erik Nilsson 1956
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South of the Laurentian Church, dating back to the 14th century, lies the park and rose garden in the middle of Falkenberg’s oldest wooden building. The artist Nils Erik Nilsson’s (1903-1982) depiction of three young girls captures the seriousness of the confirmation ceremony through the fixed composition and simplified figures.
Bryggeriaktiebolaget Falken Mural, Linda Qvarford
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Property owner Marcus Nilsson commissioned the painting by Linda Qvarford when the wall was renovated. Fittingly, the old brewery was in the same neighborhood so the painting really belongs on the street.
She is always waiting, Klara Kristalova 2013
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The artist herself has described her sculpture group as “a small magical world.” Her idea was that the place should invite movement, play and waiting and be a contrast to the rest of the environment in the square.
Ätran, Leo Janis-Brieditis 1990
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The work Ätran, made of stainless steel and reflecting the changing seasons, can be found in the art-dense Badhusparken. The sculpture depicts a movement, like a swirl around a stretched rope.
Dream Bank, Walter Bengtsson 1977
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The fiddler and sculptor Walter Bengtsson (1927-1998) from Halmstad was a stubborn and life-affirming man. The dream bank in painted and patinated bronze/copper is burlesque and inspired by folk art. The artist shows everything that saving can provide. But behind the seemingly humorous scenes, there is a seriousness that was never far away in his monumental works. The different floors depict different stages of life: first home, love/marriage, children, retirement – in other words, life’s dreams.
Associative Excursions, Daniel “EKTA” Götesson 2022
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The former Falkenberg resident Daniel Götesson has made the large mural that adorns his old high school.
Unit 1 & 2, Pål Svensson 1997
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The sculpture Enhet 1 & 2 is made of Halland gneiss and is based on contrasts, a darker wet surface against a lighter dry one. Together these opposites form a whole. From Sculptura 1997.
Historical cavalcade, Erik Olson 1959
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Historical cavalcade adorns the facade you pass on your way to the Municipal Council Chamber. The work in copper forging depicts Falkenberg’s development, starting with medieval fishing, shipping and trade. The artist Erik Olson (1901-1986) was a member of the Halmstad Group.
The Salmon Well, Bernard Andersson 1938
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With the sculpture Laxbrunnen, also called Lax-Kalle, the sculptor Bernard Andersson (1898-1983) from Halmstad has depicted a little boy who wide-eyed examines a salmon. The sculpture and water feature will be renovated in 2020-2021.
Waterworks, Pål Svensson 2001
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The sculptor Pål Svensson (b. 1950) was commissioned to create a boundary for the square facing southwest. Vattenverk is a granite wall with a water feature, which marks the extension of Rörbecksgatan towards Nygatan. Owned by FABO and FAVRAB.
And so on, Sara Kallioinen Lundgren, 2023
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Sara Kallioinen Lundgren (b. 1993) explores how simple words and expressions can often have a complex and multi-layered meaning. The work Och så vidare is made of concrete and is about the little abbreviation etc. and all the information that can be hidden behind it.
Sunbathing sirens, Tilda Lovell 2021
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From the sea, like a bridge from the subconscious, the beach finds in bronze have formed their richness of detail and crawled up on the concrete podium in Badhusparken for everyone to see.
The meeting, Göran Jönsson and Taisto Määttänen 2001
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The artwork Mötet symbolizes Ätran and man. “Water has always existed for man. Many are the mirror images that water has brought with it.” The work belongs to FABO.
Finsta – The bridge abutments at Söderbron, Finn Hallin 2022
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The versatile artist Finsta (Finn Hallin, b. 1978) is one of Europe’s leading urban contemporary artists with his playful and distinctive visual language. He moves between painting, design, music and animation. For his exhibition at the Rian Design Museum in spring 2023, he took over the Söderbron bridge abutment.
Black windows, Rudolf Shäfer 1997
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The polished surfaces of the three natural stones in black diabase form, according to the artist, windows to the past. From Sculptura 1997.
Can’t get enough of art? The Rian Design Museum has even more information about art in Falkenberg, both indoor and outdoor. Visit their website or download their art folder for even more cultural experiences.