Large sculpture of a seated figure made of open metal mesh, in a square in Borås under a cloudy sky
Large sculpture of a seated figure made of open metal mesh, in a square in Borås under a cloudy sky

Borås, Sweden — the city where sculptures, street art & textiles meet

| |
ByZayera

Just 50 minutes east of Gothenburg, Borås is a compact cultural hub: giant murals, headline-grabbing sculptures, contemporary art shows, and a living textile heritage you can touch. Visit Sweden

Why Borås is an open-air art gallery

  • Sculptures everywhere. Since 2008, Borås Art Museum has curated the Borås International Sculpture Biennial (today Borås Art Biennial)—bringing large-scale works into streets and parks. The program began with Jim Dine’s famous “Walking to Borås (Pinocchio)” and keeps adding temporary and permanent pieces around town.

  • The 9-metre Pinocchio. Dine’s bronze Pinocchio (2008) stands by Allégatan and quickly became a modern city symbol. Contemporary reports confirm the 9 m height—and note the lively local debate when it arrived.

  • Street art with “No Limit.” Since 2014, international artists have painted huge murals during the No Limit Street Art festival, turning façades into open-air canvases you can discover on foot. brooklynstreetart.com

  • Don’t miss: Fredrik Wretman’s serene Bodhi rising from the Viskan River, plus dozens of other pieces within a walkable 1.5 km radius downtown.

Exhibitions to plan around

  • Borås Art Biennial (biennial; expanded beyond sculpture in 2021): citywide installations and curated shows led by Borås Art Museum. Check current themes and venues before you go. Borås Art Biennial

  • Borås Konstmuseum (Art Museum): rotating contemporary exhibitions; many biennial works are acquired into the public collection over time. boraskonstmuseum.se

  • Textilmuseet (Textile Museum of Sweden): exhibitions on fashion, technology, design history and industry—housed since 2014 in the redeveloped Simonsland district. textilmuseet.se

Textile Fashion Center — Sweden’s textile engine

Inside the Textile Fashion Center you’ll find:

  • The Swedish School of Textiles (University of Borås): internationally recognized education & research with unique labs and an annual graduate fashion show. Högskolan i Borås

  • Textilmuseet + innovation hubs, start-ups and industry partners advancing sustainable and circular textiles. Textile Fashion CenterBorås

Rydal — the heart of the historic textile industry

A 30-minute drive south of Borås, Rydal preserves Sweden’s textile past in an atmospheric mill village:

  • Rydals museum is set in Sweden’s best-preserved spinning mill, with a machine hall where historic equipment still lines the floor. vastsverige.com

  • The Rydal community formed in 1853 around the spinning mill—perfect context for understanding Sjuhärad’s textile boom.

Practical notes

  • When to go: Late spring–early autumn for outdoor art walks; biennial years bring extra installations. boraskonstmuseum.se

  • How to explore: The official Borås art page highlights routes and guided walks around murals and sculptures.

Colourful street art mural with fantasy figures on a white building in Borås
Light hanging sculpture like flying shapes over the Viskan river in Borås
Wolf sculpture Vargen by Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, with a big speech bubble of kind words
Plaque Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, Vargen, 2022, set in stone
Figures in small boats on the calm Viskan river in Borås, part of an art installation
Västerbro sign and a yellow art sign Heli Ryhänen by the river in Borås
White museum building and a figure in the water, reflected in the river with water lilies
Large golden ring sculpture on a paved square in Borås
Small sculpture of a figure on a bar above green bushes
Metal plaque about a sculpture, on the ground among plants
Grey sculpture of a crawling human figure on a pavement in Borås
Three large painted panels by Gê Viana on the grass in front of a brick building
Yellow signs Gê Viana with information about the artworks
Three more painted panels by Gê Viana on a lawn in Borås
Large painted panel by Gê Viana with white silhouettes of people
Tall building with a green and white patterned facade in central Borås
Bronze sculpture of a small child in a raincoat on a street in Borås
Bronze statue of a boy on a stone plinth in a park in Borås
Plaque on a large stone in a park with a birch tree and a street lamp
Green rabbit sculpture by the river in Borås
Yellow sign Alicja Kwade, Les Sièges des Mondes, 2024, Borås Art Biennial
Les Sièges des Mondes by Alicja Kwade, chairs with stone spheres on a square in Borås
Smiling person sits on a stone sphere in the artwork Les Sièges des Mondes
Information board about the old mill by the water canal in Rydal
Welcome to Rydal sign with a map and text about the textile village
Rydals museum, an old stone spinning mill with white windows
Blueberry bushes in a pine forest near Rydal
Close view of blueberry plants with small green berries
Garden gnome in a hole in a mossy tree stump
Long machine hall with old spinning machines in Rydals museum
Old framed sign Lek ej, bråka ej under arbetet in the spinning mill
Wall text about wages in the 1920s for men, women and children in the mill
Spinning machines with white bobbins and a banner Ett minne från spinnsalen
Pink and blue yarn bobbins on a wooden window sill
Aisle between old spinning machines in Rydals museum
Exhibition wall text in Swedish about water power and the first industries
Exhibition wall text in Swedish about the water wheel and steam engine
Exhibition wall text in Swedish about the labour movement and old photos of workers
Sign Kolonilotten, The allotment garden, in Swedish and English
Sign Skolträdgårdar, School gardens, in Swedish and English
Old Danish poster Sund mad with a food pyramid
White plate with a brown food pyramid print
Back of a plate with printed text in Swedish
Spinning frame with rows of bobbins and a box of coloured yarn
Wooden box of pastel yarn bobbins beside a spinning frame
Shelves with yarn and books in the Rydals museum shop
Front of a tall brick church in Borås under a grey sky
Brick church with a tall spire behind trees and a lawn in Borås
Side view of a large brick church with a gravel path in Borås
Bronze sculpture When I Crack I Expand by Tove Kjellmark in Borås Art Museum
Label Tove Kjellmark, When I Crack I Expand, 2022, bronze
Three painted portraits of women in arched frames on a gallery wall
Sculpture Prinsessan Punk by Kristina Abelli Elander, a figure with a red head in a metal frame
Wall label with works by Nathalie Djurberg, Hans Berg and Kristina Abelli Elander
Ceramic head with orange hair and small blue birds on top
Head sculpture in a knitted cream hood on a white plinth
Church interior in Borås with a large painted altar wall and brick arches
Guide talks outside Borås Art Museum during an art walk
Large painted panel with a rider and people, set up on a lawn
Mural of a woman in soft colours on a yellow brick wall in Borås
Large mural of a woman on the gable of a building in Borås
Three round murals on a red brick tower in Borås
Fountain in a square in Borås under a grey sky
Close view of fountain spray in front of a building with a rooftop sign
Building with a lace pattern facade, reflected in the river
Blue geometric sculpture of a horse and carriage on a lawn by the river
Mural of two people on a bench, reflected in the river in Borås
Mural of a green leaf on a dark tower building above green trees
Art piece shaped like a shell set into a pavement
Painted panel with people and large orange mushrooms in front of a brick building
Long colourful mural above a shop front in Borås
Giant steel spoon sculpture on a square in Borås
Atrium of the Textile Fashion Center with stairs and hanging art
Sign Reformation Workshop in an exhibition at the Textile Museum of Sweden
Red textile vest and washable pads in a glass case at the Textile Museum of Sweden
Sign Reformation Workshop, history state, with exhibition text
Exhibition text I evighet, For ever and ever, about clothes and the climate
Green sign Svensk ull, en lokal resurs, Swedish wool, a local resource
Green exhibition signs on a pegboard wall
Large wall artwork made of old clothes in many colours
Display about sweat pads with old packages and a sign Svettlappar
Sign Varför Borås? about why Borås became a textile centre
Sign Vaddå svensk textilindustri? about the Swedish textile industry
Workshop table with old sewing machines and a photo wall
Green sign about a domestic loom by George Hattersley and Sons
Green signs about Couture Vivante and other works
Sign Eko-poesi och färg, Jeanette Schäring
Old loom that weaves striped fabric, in a dark exhibition room
Exhibition sign about textile machines on a metal stand
Large hanging textile sculpture in the atrium of the Textile Fashion Center
Person seen from behind in a vest with the word QUEER in coloured letters
Four decorated mannequin torsos on a shelf in a textile workshop
Sign Sträckmaskin about a drawing frame machine
Textile wall hanging in green, pink and yellow
Embroidered textile artwork with flowers and a round cushion in front
Hanging textile sculpture with an information sign in front
Textile Museum building with a huge blue sky mural, seen from the road
Sign Spionage och smuggling about the history of the textile industry
Sign Ständig utveckling about constant development in textile machines
Blue sky mural on the facade of the Textile Museum, with cars in front
Exhibition room with many old sewing machines on shelves
Sign Kraft about power for the first textile machines
Sculpture of a man lying on a rusty steel bed on a street in Borås
Sign Bandjacquard and Ringspinnmaskin
Sign Revolvervävstol and Vävmaskin med griparm
Sign Grovslubb and Finslubb
Sign Rundstickmaskin and Flatstickmaskin
Sign Vantmaskin and Strumpautomat
Sign Selfaktor and Bomullskarda