STOCKHOLM.- The Stockholm Art Fair just opened in Sweden and will close on April 10. The decision to move the fair closer to spring has been warmly welcomed by many. Not only do we not clash with any other international fair. It's also a lot more pleasant to come to the beautiful capital city in April than in February!

The Nordic art scene has long attracted considerable interest and Sthlm Art Fair gives people the opportunity to see and buy Nordic art in a joint marketplace.

This year's fair includes a Nordic Manifestation which involves 12 of the mayor art academies in Scandinavia. For the first time each academy will present works of art from two different art students. With establishments from the entire Nordic region the fair is a unique meeting place for the young contemporary Nordic art scene.

A new feature for Sthlm Art Fair is that every year a different Nordic artist will be invited to create a specially adapted installation for the fair. The Danish artist Jeppe Hein has been entrusted with this task for 2005. Jeppe Hein lives and works in Berlin, but is on the move most of the time. His current undertakings include a large-scale landscape project outside Paris and an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou.

Hein has made a name for himself with interactive artworks that have appeared in exhibitions around the world. At the Venice Biennale, he attracted much attention with his water jets spraying horizontally across the room (Interludes, 2003). Last March in New York, he exhibited a cube suspended by electromagnetism (Flying Cube, PS1, 2004). In Stockholm, Galleri Brändström & Stene exhibited a flame that grew larger as the onlooker stepped closer (Bear the Consequences, 2003).

The design of the fair includes several lounges dotted in and around the exhibition area - ideal places where you can take a break. The lounges also act as "alternative" exhibition areas for magazines and institutions. The fair is held in Hall A which will create an intimate setting.