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City centre of Nuuk

Right in the middle of the city of Nuuk is Greenland's Cultural Center Katuaq, centrally located between public buildings and shops. The characteristic building is inspired by the wavy northern lights and the play of light in ice and snow.

Katuaq, which in Greenlandic means drumstick, opened on 15 February 1997 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022.

 

Katuaq was created in its time in a fruitful collaboration between the Nordic Council of Ministers, the then Nuuk Municipality and Greenland's Self-Government. The house is owned by Katuaq I/S, which consists of Greenland's Self-Government and Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, which are also grant-givers to the business foundation Katuaq.

Architects behind

The architects who designed the the house are Schmidt Hammer & Lassen from Århus, who won the Nykreditfonden's architecture prize after the construction of Katuaq.

 

This award aroused interest in the international world of architecture, where the architecture of Katuaq received a good mention in the recognized magazine Scandinavian Design and the following year got its own page in the International Yearbook of Award winning Architectures. It is the same architectural firm that, among other things, behind it is the national library "The Black Diamond" in KBH, the Art Museum Aros and Malmø Live.

From the outside, Katuaq looks like a grand grand piano or an iceberg, a triangle on Nuuk's main street with a slightly wavy facade of wood and glass. In the design of the building, inspiration has been drawn from the wavy northern lights and from the play of light in ice and snow.

 

In the cultural center there are three "elements"; Hans Lynge Salen, Lillesalen and CaféTuaq built as a semicircle, square and triangle respectively.

Art in every corner

Listen to stories about the artworks produced by Nuuk Art Museum.

The stories have been recorded by Kimmernaq Kjeldsen, written by Nuuk Art Museum and the podcasts was produced by Sialuk Production. We thank Greenland Self Rule and Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, who made the project possible through the Tips- og Lottomidlerne and Sermeq Pulje.

Buuti Pedersen

Above the reception, a work about the old Greenlandic legend of the Sun and the Moon, created by the artist Buuti Pedersen, is scratched into the concrete.

 

Nuuk Art Museum has produced an artwalk which describes this piece.

Listen

Isle Hessner

The kayak sculptures outside the main entrance are made by artist Isle Hessner. The sculptures are created so that you can sit in them.

 

Nuuk Art Museum has produced an artwalk which describes these pieces.

Listen

Aage Gitz Johansen

7 works of art by Aage Gitz Johansen (1897-1977) were donated by the Aage Gitz-Johansen Foundation to hang opposite the café triangle.

 

Nuuk Art Museum has produced an artwalk which describes these pieces.

Listen

Larry Ahkvakana

At the spiral staircase is the sculpture "Red Wolfe" by Larry Ahkvakana, Alaska, a gift from the North Slope Regional Corporation.

Uummatip Inaa

Time capsule created for Katuaq's 25th anniversary in 2022, which must not be opened until Katuaq's 50th anniversary in 2047. Created by artists Lars Kjær and Anders Zeeb. The time capsule is designed as a wooden qilaat and hangs on the wall at Cafétuaq in Katuaq.