Nordnorsken 2026 opened at Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter in Svolvær on Friday 20 March, marking the beginning of this year’s touring exhibition across Northern Norway.

The exhibition brings together a wide and diverse range of artistic practices from the region, presenting works that explore the relationship between body, material, and nature. Across media and expressions, the artists address tensions between human activity and ecological and material realities.

Awards
Three awards were presented during the opening:

The Jury Prize is awarded to Rita Marhaug for Handgjort.
The installation consists of a series of carved wooden hands made from Sitka spruce—an invasive species in Norway—combined with fur from mink. Through its material choices, the work highlights how human interventions in nature can have unintended consequences. Balancing a poetic visual language with a strong political dimension, the work reflects on the relationship between craft, nature, and environmental management.

The Debutant Prize is awarded to Mari Bø, Solveig Holthe Bygdnes, and Frode Larsen for Ene.
The work combines performance, sound, and textile in an exploration of the body as both form and experience. A large, moving costume emerges as both sculpture and bodily presence, leaving a physical trace in the exhibition space. The work challenges conventional understandings of sculpture and exhibition formats, opening up new ways of experiencing art.

The Critics’ Prize (Hakapik) is awarded to William A. Frjals Bentsen for Francis.
Carved in Fauske marble, the work draws on art historical traditions while exploring bodily vulnerability and the significance of material. By shaping the marble into a form reminiscent of an animal skull, Bentsen challenges the notion of marble as a smooth and idealised material, pointing instead to the relationship between human intervention and the materiality of the landscape.

Senja kunstforening, opening 20 July
Terminal B/ Pikene på broen, opening 3. September
Alta kunstforening, opening 16 October
Rana kunstforening, opening 24 November
Bodø kunstforening, opening 16 January