Galleria Art Festival - The least exclusive and most exotic arts festival in Norway

Download photos

What is Galleria?

Galleria Art Festival –Norways longest gallery, aims to establish contacts with artists worldwide, and through this exchange knowledge and competence of visual arts and related topics.

The festival will contribute to inspiration and innovation and the development of creativity – for both old and young. The goal is that this will help to create new jobs.

Galleria has a goal to increase understanding and interest for arts and creativity and wants to put focus on the role of culture in society.

The festival is about to fortify it selves to put Vefsn municipality and the region on the map nationally and internationally, as a destination for culture and experience,

Norways longest gallery

– for the first time in 2006 - then as a purely artist run initiative. Some artists needed to show their work.

The basic idea behind the Galleria Art Festival is to create a place where the young amateur has the ability to meet established artists from around the world. The exhibitors are mainly ment be present so that children and young amateurs can exhibit next door, and on equal footing with renowned artists.

Galleria is arts without filters

That's what makes this an exotic popular and memorable cultural event. Galleria Art Festival stands out from many other festivals and art venues. There are few restrictions on artistic participation. Everyone can initially set participate, but it is simultaneously important to have a wide range of qualities of the various exhibits.

As a cultural event Galleria Art Festival has become a huge success. Most of the participating artists sign up uninvited, based on rumors of a unique and exciting festival, which also has great potential to achieve good sales.

Audiences flock to to enjoy and buy art in the unique surroundings and environment.

The festival takes place in the old town of Mosjoen – in Sjøgato.

All available rooms and spaces are used for exhibitions - from established galleries to boathouses and alleyways, garages and shop windows. This provides a unique atmosphere and great experience for both artists and audience.

Non-traditional exhibitions, music and performance in the streets are part of making the Galleria into a social happening and experience for both artists and audience. Emphasis will be placed on developing the social aspect with various cultural performances, seminars, etc. in the planning and development.

In 2010 the Galleria occurred for a week, 10 - 17 July. On the program were over 70 artists' names in 30 different exhibition points. In 2011, the festival appears to be greater than ever.

All exhibits in the Galleria Art Festival are free to visit and the artists them selves takes care of potential sales without interference from the festival management. Based on the collected information, it is estimated that in 2010 there were about 10,000 visitors through the week. In addition to the approximately 5,000 who attended the "moody festivity" that ended the cultural days of Galleria.

Art for more than NOK 500 000 was sold during Galleria 2010. Throughout the week there were also daily concerts and theater - indoor and outdoors, daytime and evening. There was organized art exhibitions combined with performance and also performed live graffiti painting. The children had their own childrens day of sculpture making and painting.

Galleria has its own short film festival for local and invitational moviemakers. In addition, there are various lectures and art courses. Every year there is an auction with art of festival artists, from where the profit goes to "lottery equivalent" purposes.

In 2010, the world's longest graphic print was produced under the Galleria Art Festival. The piece endit up 185.5 meters long and was printed using a tarmac roller.

Galleria also include features that are peculiar. Like for instance The Inventors Office a creative element that shows examples and models of hopeless inventions.

Galleria Art Festival has gradually rooted well in Helgeland - not least among the public. We also see that the festival position throughout the region have been strengthened in recent years. Artists from Scandinavia is represented and the audience are coming from all over Europe. Many are annual regulars and have put the festival into their travel and vacation plans.

It has been established contact with artists nationally and internationally including a formal cooperation with Gornji Milanovac in Serbia within visual arts, film and music and children's art.

Cultural Journey 2011

Galleria Art Festival, together with 8 other festivals included a pilot project, Culture Journey 2011, which aims to strengthen the sense of identity to the people of the north as well as attract visitors to the region to experience a diversity of culture and festivals. Here people are given the opportunity to book online – then travel and stay for an festival experience. Eight other festivals are participating in this pilot project: Finnmarksløpet, Tromsø International Film Festival, Kalottspel Målselv, Winter Feast in Narvik, Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival, Riddu Riddu, The Varanger Festival and Namsos Rockfestival.

Galleria Art Festival has a mission in this project – to provide adventure packages, where the audience - wherever they may be in the world – can book exciting packages online. It will be held tours (COOLtour) with embedded culture performances and it should be possible to sign up for various courses and conferences. All bookable in advance.