RAM HISTORY

RAM galleri, is a multidisciplinary gallery focusing on the intersection between contemporary art, craft and design. RAM aims to be a platform for emerging and mid-career artists and makers from Scandinavia and beyond. The exhibition program features 6-8 exhibitions yearly, as well as a great number of temporary events such as artist talks, performances, lectures and art fair participation.
 

RAM has a long and proud history. The gallery was founded in 1989 by the artist organisations Norske Kunsthåndverkere (NK), Norske Tekstilkunstnere (NTK), Forbundet Frie Fotografer (FFF) og Utsmykkingsfondet (today KORO – Public Arts Norway), as an artist run space for contemporary craft, art, photography, textile art and public art. Today, RAM is organized as members society, with NK and NTK as sole members, and is funded primarily by the Arts Council with support from Oslo City Council and Norske Kunsthåndverkere.

 

From the very beginning the founders had a clear vision of an interdisciplinary program that would reflect the different parties in the collaboration, and that the gallery would be run as an experimental and non-commercial space. The first director was Lotte Sandberg (1956-2021), who later would become well known as one of the leading art critics in Norway in the newspaper Aftenposten. The gallery quickly became an important exhibition venue on a national level and maintained its interdisciplinary focus throughout the years. 

 

RAM was first established in a purposely refurbished space on Kongens gate 3 in the Kvadratur area of central Oslo. The space was designed by architects Doxrud, Mjøset & Eggen, and was the first artist run space to establish itself in this area, which today is the quintessential gallery district in Oslo. In 2016 RAM was forced to move to a temporary location in the Grünerløkka area, on Thorvald Meyers gate 51, awaiting a permanent new location. By the time of the move, RAM had held no less than 223 exhibitions in the period of 1989-2016. 

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In 2019 RAM moved into a new gallery space on Kongens gate 15, one block away from it's initial location. The space was designed by Karl Marius Sveen/Kaels Studio.