The art at Thorildsplan station on the Stockholm Metro, which encompasses artworks by more than 150 artists. Photo: Visit Stockholm
The art at Thorildsplan station on the Stockholm Metro, which encompasses artworks by more than 150 artists. Photo: Visit Stockholm
The art at Thorildsplan station on the Stockholm Metro, which encompasses artworks by more than 150 artists. Photo: Visit Stockholm
The art at Thorildsplan station on the Stockholm Metro, which encompasses artworks by more than 150 artists. Photo: Visit Stockholm

Exploring Stockholm's Metro, the longest art gallery in the world


  • English
  • Arabic

It wasn’t until I explored Stockholm’s subway system that I realised a train network wasn’t only a means of transport; it could also be a repository of art and artistic experiments.

Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A

Stockholm’s first underground train line opened in 1950, running between Slussen and Hokarangen stations. The idea of “art in the metro” was inspired later in the decade by a new political ideology known as Folkhemmet, or The People’s Home, led by the Swedish Social Democratic party.

“People felt art needed to be more accessible to people on the streets instead of being the preserve of the rich and the famous,” says Anders Nilsson, a fellow art enthusiast I meet while exploring Moderna Museet, the state museum for modern and contemporary art. "As Stockholm expanded and many people moved to the suburbs, the subway system worked well to connect the city and ensure that art was accessible to all."

Today, the T-Bana, or tunnelbana, which in Swedish means tunnel railway, has 100 stations, 47 underground and 53 above ground. It is a veritable, open-to-all 110-kilometre art gallery that lets you get up close with stupendous murals, intricate paintings and playful art installations.

In a city known for its for dull, grey winters, the democratisation of art has livened up people’s daily commute. For the price of a train ticket, one can explore the 90 stations decorated with mosaics, paintings, sculptures, installations, reliefs and engravings by more than 150 artists. It seems like a wonderful, inexpensive way to look at the evolution of art – from the 1950s to modern experiments – and the work of many artists who have since become well-known figures in Sweden.

The ideal place to kick off a T-bana tour is T-Centralen, the city's main train station where the three lines – red, blue and green – of the Stockholm Metro intersect.

The art at T-Centralen, Stockholm Metro's main station. Photo: Visit Stockholm
The art at T-Centralen, Stockholm Metro's main station. Photo: Visit Stockholm

T-Centralen, the first subway station to be built in Stockholm, was where the idea of adding artwork to stations came alive. Many of the original sculptures and paintings date back to the late 1950s, but the most memorable – including one with blue lines and floral motifs intended to create calm and quietude – were created by sculptor and painter Per Olof Ultvedt. He also gave pride of place to the workers who built T-Centralen by painting their silhouettes on the walls and ceilings.

The 25.5km-long blue line stretches between Kungstradgarden and Akalla/Hjulsta stations. After boarding a train to Viksjo, I hop off at Hallonbergen, the seventh stop from T-Centralen, and find that artists Elis Eriksson and Gosta Wallmark have recreated the imaginative world of children in a work sure to bring a smile to the fact of even the most jaded commuter. The little doodles and scrawls, etched in black on white, include humans, horses and fantastical little beasts. Eriksson and Wallmark are said to have used their own childhood drawings and those made by their children to decorate Hallonbergen, a word that translates to Raspberry Mountains, which sounds like something straight out of a children's fairy tale.

Next stop is Solna Centrum, which offers one of the most famous images of Stockholm’s Metro. The cave-like station has a sky painted blood red and a vivid green, with a 1,000-metre-long spruce forest that runs below. Anders Aberg and Karl-Olav Bjork in 1975 created this artwork to make a stand against the destruction of the environment, forests and nature taking place during the peak of Sweden’s industrial era.

Solna Cetrum station. Photo: Visit Stockholm
Solna Cetrum station. Photo: Visit Stockholm

Kungstradgarden is the terminus of the blue line, with artwork that draw inspirations from the King’s Garden, one of Stockholm’s oldest public parks. The vibrant and abstract harlequin ceiling design that seems to consume the cave was painted by Ulrik Samuelson in 1977.

Marie Andersson, a certified subway art guide, believes the underground station tells the story of the site above ground. “The colour scheme of the station – red, white and green – references the old French official garden,” she says. The statues around the station are copies of exterior art at Makalos Palace, which was built in Kungstradgarden in 1635 and burned down in 1825, she adds.

At Ostermalmstorg, a station designed in the 1960s to serve as a shelter in case of nuclear attack, painter and sculptor Siri Derkert chose to create a political statement by using images that focus on women’s rights and world peace.

Derkert, a pioneer of Swedish 20th-century art, studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, and moved to Paris in 1913. She returned to Sweden with a strong passion for women’s rights and chose to represent historical female figures with a special sand-blasting technique on the station’s walls. The women include Hypatia, one of the earliest “mothers of mathematics”; Sappho, the fifth-century lyrical poet from Lesbos; French writer Simone de Beauvoir; and British author Virginia Woolf. The word “peace” in different languages takes pride of place across the walls alongside etchings of people who worked for the environment and on women’s rights.

Work by Gun Gordillo at Hotorget on the Green Line. Photo: Visit Stockholm
Work by Gun Gordillo at Hotorget on the Green Line. Photo: Visit Stockholm

Hotorget, on the Green Line, is often called the “bathroom” station on account of the light teal tilework and vintage signposts. When I look up, I see the drama and movement artist Gun Gordillo created by placing 103 strips of winding neon lights along the ceilings in 1998.

Christian Partos, who worked on the Teleportations artwork at Hasselby Strand station in 2000, applauds the idea to use artistic decoration to make the stations more distinct. “Train stations mostly lack any architectural characteristics, and this art defines the space,” he says.

For his contribution to the T-bana, he focused on emphasising the elevator as an element of form by giving it a different surface – a yellow chromatic plate – and a tile pattern that is almost humorous. “The elevator has become the one part of the station that everything emanates from, in spite of not existing in the original plan. The spirals out of the wall and the ring-patterned holes in the floor, generate from the elevator’s field of force,” he says.

Morby Centrum station. Photo: Visit Stockholm
Morby Centrum station. Photo: Visit Stockholm

Moving on to Morby Centrum, I find that artists Gosta Wessel and Karin Ek succeeded in their mission to showcase the change that a journey brings. The colourful tilework creates an optical illusion, with the walls changing colour depending on where I stand.

And then it’s time for the stunning showpiece at Stadion station, located near Ostermalms IP, a stadium that was the site for the 1912 Olympics and now hosts sports events and concerts. The artwork at one of Stockholm’s first cave stations, by Ake Pallarp and Enno Hallek, serves as a reminder of Stadion’s significance in sports history. It’s a wonderful coincidence that a bright and beautiful rainbow stands out against the station's bright blue walls.

The rainbow artwork at Stadion station. Photo: Visit Stockholm
The rainbow artwork at Stadion station. Photo: Visit Stockholm

According to Visit Stockholm, the station created controversy when it was built in 1973, with fears that people would associate a cave station with the netherworld. But the bright blue and the rainbow “serves as a reminder that there is a sky not far above”.

The beauty of Stockholm’s subway system leads me to pause time and again – the very opposite of what train stations are typically programmed to do.

Commuter stations across the world are usually populated by a horde of workers all walking quietly and swiftly, phone in hand, and no time to waste. But the T-bana, despite the escalators, stairways and bottlenecks, differs by offering another journey alongside – a chance to time-travel through Swedish art and culture.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Rebel%20Moon%20%E2%80%93%20Part%20Two%3A%20The%20Scargiver%20review%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zack%20Snyder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sofia%20Boutella%2C%20Charlie%20Hunnam%2C%20Ed%20Skrein%2C%20Sir%20Anthony%20Hopkins%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fund-raising tips for start-ups

Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOlive%20Gaea%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vivek%20Tripathi%2C%20Jessica%20Scopacasa%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELicensed%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20World%20Trade%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Climate-Tech%2C%20Sustainability%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECornerstone%20Venture%20Partners%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LIST OF INVITEES

Shergo Kurdi (am) 
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris

Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E660hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C100Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488km-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh850%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOctober%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Znap%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarted%3A%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Uday%20Rathod%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%241m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EInvestors%3A%20Family%2C%20friends%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Meghan%20podcast
%3Cp%3EMeghan%20Markle%2C%20the%20wife%20of%20Prince%20Harry%2C%20launched%20her%20long-awaited%20podcast%20Tuesday%2C%20with%20tennis%20megastar%20Serena%20Williams%20as%20the%20first%20guest.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20Duchess%20of%20Sussex%20said%20the%2012-part%20series%2C%20called%20%22Archetypes%2C%22%20--%20a%20play%20on%20the%20name%20of%20the%20couple's%20oldest%20child%2C%20Archie%20--%20would%20explore%20the%20female%20experience.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELast%20year%20the%20couple%20told%20Oprah%20Winfrey%20that%20life%20inside%20%22The%20Firm%22%20had%20been%20miserable%2C%20and%20that%20they%20had%20experienced%20racism.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20don't%20ever%20remember%20personally%20feeling%20the%20negative%20connotation%20behind%20the%20word%20ambitious%2C%20until%20I%20started%20dating%20my%20now-husband%2C%22%20she%20told%20the%20tennis%20champion.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry

Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm

Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Etwo%20permanent%20magnet%20synchronous%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Etwo-speed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E625hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E456km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh737%2C480%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Updated: December 07, 2023, 9:04 AM