Next year, Trondheim will welcome PoMo: a groundbreaking modern and contemporary art museum, housed in a renovated art nouveau post office building. PoMo aims to redefine the art landscape in the region, particularly with regard to gender representation. In a statement, the museum announced that its collection “seeks to establish a ‘new normal’ for Norwegian institutions, dedicating at least 60 percent of its acquisitions budget to women artists to address gender inequality in museum collections broadly.”
The museum’s permanent collection will showcase an impressive array of works by renowned artists such as French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, German sculptor Katharina Fritsch, American artist Simone Leigh, and French artist Philippe Parreno. Additionally, PoMo will host two major temporary exhibitions annually, along with various educational programs and events.
Spanning five floors and over 43,000 square feet (4,000 square meters), the revitalized post office building—a collaborative effort between celebrated designer India Mahdavi and Norwegian architect Erik Langdalen—will feature three floors of galleries, a basement dedicated to events and educational initiatives, a library in the eaves, and a top floor housing reception areas and offices. “I wanted this museum to feel inviting and inclusive, engaging both the local community and the international art crowd,” Mahdavi said. “It’s about reconnecting the local community with the city center and their own history, while simultaneously offering a fresh experience that welcomes the world.”
For the museum’s director, Marit Album Kvernmo, an inclusive visitor experience is also a top priority. “[We are] bringing world-class modern and contemporary art to enrich the cultural life of our city and reimagining our historic building to provide an accessible and intuitive experience for our visitors,” she stated.
PoMo will open with its inaugural exhibition ‘Postcards from the Future’ on 15 February next year, exploring the museum’s roots in Trondheim’s former Post Office, while highlighting pieces from its own collection alongside high-profile national and international loans. ‘Postcards from the Future’ will be on display from 15 February - 22 June 2025 at PoMo in Trondheim.
