Artipelag

Artipelag is a stunning building, a delicious café and a great exhibition space in Stockholm’s archipelago. If you are interested in art or architecture, or just like nature, you should definitely visit Artipelag.
I was lucky that the girlfriend of my Airbnb host was an art student, otherwise I would probably never have known about this gallery. Artipelag is located perhaps an hour away from central Stockholm in the archipelago. And yes, it is a bit of a pain to get there, but there is a bus stop right in front of the building. However, I took a bus from Slussen and instead of waiting and changing to a different bus, I simply got off somewhere and walked the last leg. It took me ages, but the last bit was enjoyable, as they built a little path through the forest.
To be honest, I found the building and the permanent exhibition more impressive than the temporary exhibition. The building is huge and beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Arken Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen, however when I sent Artipelag an email and asked about it, they seemed surprised, so I guess if anything, only the architect was inspired by Arken.
The light building is dominated by clear lines and simple colours, mostly white, grey and black. I found the large-​scale photographs, beautiful nature shots, that were commissioned specifically for the building, most fascinating.
When I was there, the temporary exhibition was called «Land meets water — European and American photography from 1860 to the present». I liked it, there were some great photos. Still, the permanent photographs of the surrounding area were the highlight for me — maybe mostly because I lived in Stockholm for a few months a couple of years ago.
For me, the museum itself is a work of art and I very much enjoyed the time I spent at Artipelag. Whether you check out the exhibitions, just sit in a corner to read or treat yourself to the delicious food at their café — I found that being exposed to this architecture, the aesthetics and the calm atmosphere was kind of mesmerising.
While it took me two hours or so to get there, I took the bus from the building on the way back to Stockholm and with one interchange arrived at Slussen within only 40 minutes.
If you like architecture, nature, or photography, Artipelag, «an international venue for art, good food, events and activities», as they describe themselves, is a place you should not miss when in Stockholm.

De l’art contemporain mis en contexte avec une nature aux vues imprenables, en voilà une idée séduisante!
Artipelag est un musée d’art contemporain privé situé sur l’archipel Värmdö à près d’une petite heure du centre de Stockholm en bus (en comptant les correspondances). Et quelle belle claque on se prend en arrivant sur place: le paysage est magnifique.
Allez y uniquement par jour de beau temps car l’expo est minuscule (ce qui m’a frustré), et ainsi, vous passerez plus de temps à manger en terrasse, piqué-​niquer ou vous balader. C’est d’ailleurs un rendez-​vous familial du weekend semble-​t-​il.
Bön à savoir, le restaurant est onéreux. Optez plutôt pour l’option cafétéria. Mais là, attention: si c’est le week-​end et que vous optez pour le buffet (LE bon plan bouffe de Stockholm), il vous coûtera près de 300 SEK, parce qu’en fait… C’est le brunch. Bön, c’est délicieux et à volonté.
Je conseille cette escapade durant votre séjour à Stockholm pour découvrir l’une de ses archipels et sa beauté plus que pour y voir de l’art contemporain… D’où mes 4 étoiles au lieu de 5: parce que 100 SEK pour visiter 100m2 d’expo, ça fait un peu cher.

A caveat to this review — I didn’t go into the art gallery, so made it to an art gallery without seeing any art, so to speak.
However, the walks around the building, built by Babybjorn magnate Björn Jakobson, are fantastic. The bus takes you from Stockholm Centralstation (there’s a stop outside the station), and 20 mins later, you’re deep in countryside, amongst the most peaceful inlets.
The bus drops you off at ‘The Boardwalk’, a 15 min walk to the art gallery over a buggy and wheelchair friendly walkway. More rugged (by comparison, no specialist footwear required) routes are given as options, and you can visit the ‘Head Office’.
Lunch was well priced, delicious, with 200 Kr for buffet and coffee. The bread is baked in their own bakery on site, and is very tasty.
We were lucky with some fantastic weather, and it is definitely worth the effort to get out there!