Culture

A 20-minute drive from the city proper you’ll find architect Johan Nyrén’s Artipelag art gallery, tucked away in a glade surrounded by forest. There are four main spaces that host exhibitions, past examples of which have included furniture designed by Mats Theselius, fashion by Lars Wallin and an Andy Warhol retrospective. The shop stocks Artipelag’s own creations including ceramics and tote bags. Its 1,100-seat Artbox music hall has hosted everything from grungy gigs to opera.

The Fotografiska sits in a picturesque spot a few minutes walk from Slussen Station. Opened by brothers Per and Jan Broman, the former customs house has four large galleries and about 20 smaller spaces devoted to a changing roster of the world’s best shutterbugs. The city stumped up SEK250m (€24m) for the art nouveau building’s restoration and its character hits an appealing middle ground between flashy and understated. The café-bar and restaurant offer panoramic views over the water.

“We didn’t want to be another white cube; we wanted to be inviting and exciting,” says Michael Elmenbeck, CFHill’s co-founder. And the gallery feels like a home, hosting three shows a month across its eight individually decorated spaces. The historic interiors enhance the impact of the contemporary art – an effect that’s regularly captured in a comely printed catalogue. Elmenbeck runs the space with Michael Storåkers and Anna-Karin Pusic. “We want to give something to Stockholm that it hasn’t seen before,” says Elmenbeck.