The Twist: An Architectural Marvel Near Oslo

The Architecture of Illusion

This striking 1,000-square-metre building was designed by the renowned Danish practice BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and links two wooded riverbanks, completing the cultural circuit through Kistefos Sculpture Park. Known internationally for its radical, often utopian approach to architecture and its philosophy of “Hedonistic Sustainability”, BIG was commissioned to create its first project in Norway. The challenge was twofold: to design an art space of international calibre while also bridging the difference in elevation between the two sides of the Randselva river.

Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG, conceived an idea that is strikingly simple in principle yet exceptionally complex in execution: a rectangular volume that twists through 90 degrees at its centre, creating a sculptural geometry of double curvature. Externally, the building is clad in raw aluminium strips, arranged in a way that recalls a shuffled deck of cards. As they catch and reflect the shifting light of the Nordic sky, they heighten the illusion of a fluid, almost moving sculptural form.

At its core, The Twist is an “inhabitable bridge”. Before it was built, visitors to the historic Kistefos site, founded by businessman and art collector Christen Sveaas around a former wood-pulp mill, had to retrace their steps once they reached the end of the route. The Twist became the missing link, allowing visitors to move continuously through the park in a complete loop. In doing so, the simple act of crossing the river becomes an experience in itself. The building does not merely sit within the landscape, but actively reorganises the way it is perceived and navigated. It has since become one of Kistefos’s defining landmarks and one of the most widely recognised contemporary architectural projects in the world.

A Three-Part Spatial Experience

The interior is every bit as striking as the exterior. Because of the building’s rotation, ceilings become walls and walls become floors, while the careful handling of natural light and geometry creates three distinct exhibition spaces. On the southern side is the Closed Gallery, an inward-looking, double-height space illuminated primarily by artificial light. It is particularly well suited to video art, projections, paintings and more light-sensitive works that require controlled conditions. At the centre lies the Twist Gallery itself, where the 90-degree rotation becomes fully apparent. Here, the lines converge and the white-painted fir slats rise continuously from floor to wall and ceiling, while a narrow, curving strip of roof light brings daylight dramatically into the space, creating an almost sculptural interior. To the north is the Panorama Gallery, a more open and expansive space flooded with natural light. A vast full-height glazed wall frames panoramic views of the river, the historic pulp mill and the surrounding Norwegian woodland. A glass staircase then leads down to the museum’s lower level, bringing visitors even closer to the water and offering an immersive view of the structure from beneath.

A Lifestyle Destination with Internationally Acclaimed Design

The Twist is not only a destination for architecture enthusiasts, but part of a broader cultural and lifestyle experience. Set in Jevnaker, around an hour north-west of Oslo, it combines a retreat into nature with art, design and contemporary architecture. Visitors can explore works by major international artists including Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, Yayoi Kusama and Fernando Botero, scattered throughout the surrounding woodland, before crossing The Twist itself and experiencing first-hand how avant-garde architecture can coexist with a strong sense of place and tradition. Inside, the white timber lining offers a subtle nod to traditional Norwegian houses and barns, showing how BIG created not simply a visually striking building, but a work rooted in its local context while resonating far beyond it.

A Limited Season and Major Exhibitions

Because Kistefos and The Twist operate seasonally, the main artistic programme runs from spring to early autumn. In 2026, the season opened on 9 May and runs until 11 October. This year’s exhibition programme has focused on the renewed relevance and expressive power of painting in contemporary art. At The Twist, When I’m in My Painting brings together Ragna Bley, Ida Ekblad, Oscar Murillo and Albert Oehlen in a major group exhibition exploring painting as both a physical process and a psychological experience. At Nybruket Gallery, London-based artist Issy Wood presents Fish, Fish, Duck, her first major exhibition in the Nordic region. Her psychologically charged paintings explore themes including desire, alienation, vulnerability, power and contemporary culture. The sculpture park has also gained major new works this year. Dana Schutz’s monumental Blind Boat was unveiled at the opening of the 2026 season, while Marguerite Humeau’s The Garden of Resuscitation, a site-specific work in which sculpture, ecology and ritual merge with the surrounding forest, opened on 20 August.