THE LAST RESORT: AT SIX, STOCKHOLM
At the foot of the At Six lobby staircase stands an imposing marble sculpture of a slightly elongated head that immediately demands your attention. It’s a statement to the ambitions of the new Stockholm hotel; the signature Jaume Plensa sculpture is some- thing you would expect to see in the entranceway to a museum rather than a hotel, and that’s precisely the point. “Our concept is to collect and display art that is not just a additional decoration, but a high-quality experience or an eye-opener,” says Sune Nordgren, At Six’s art curator. “Not to necessarily provoke, but to stimulate thoughts and conversations.” Most boutique hotels exhibit contemporary art, but here it doesn’t simply disappear into the background. With experience curating for museums, Nordgren had to ensure that he brought captivating work for people who weren’t entering with the sole purpose of viewing art: “It was a great challenge for me to choose and arrange art works for completely ‘unprepared’ visitors and guests at the chosen hotels.”
Increasing public interest in art has made his job a little easier. “The majority of the guests already know about the artists and are quite impressed by encountering them in a hotel lobby or corridor,” he explains. “For those who do not know the artists, they still see the difference, that this is not the usual ‘hotel art.’” Most pieces are part of a permanent display, and Nordgren paid strong consideration to the collection that will be on view at the opening: “[Expect] several art works of the highest quality by celebrated artists like Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Tacita Dean, Julian Opie, and Jaume Plensa,” he begins, “but also art works for quite specific places, like video works by Marijke van Warmerdam for the huge screen in the Social conference center, unique mirror works for each and every room in a modular system by emerging Swedish artist Kristina Matousch, and a selection of photo works by acclaimed Swedish photographer Dawid—some of them in a perfect symbiosis with the architecture and interior design, some in a challenging and thought-provoking contrast.”
There’s far more to the luxury hotel than art—sophisticated suites, an indoor/outdoor restaurant, and a craft cocktail lounge for starters—but the carefully selected collection begs for observation and appreciation by everyone who steps inside. “The marble head by Plensa in the marble staircase would be impressive as an entrance to a traditional museum,” Nordgren notes. “That is the feeling we want to provoke and manifest already in the entrance, a museum that turns out to be a beautiful and most comfortable hotel!”
At Six is now open at Brunkebergstorg 6, Stockholm.
