Kirsten Wandschneider and Maria Råkil step in as Interim Directors of Bergen Assembly

^05.05.2026


From May 1, 2026, Kirsten Wandschneider has stepped in as Interim Managing Director and Maria Råkil as Interim Deputy Director while Director Ingrid Haug Erstad is on maternity leave. During this period, Bergen Assembly continues under a shared interim leadership, overseeing operations, projects, and collaborations locally, nationally and internationally.

Kirsten (she/her) studied Italian Linguistics and Art History at Freie Universität Berlin and holds a master's degree in art history from Hochschule der Künste Braunschweig. After being the director of Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin she has moved on to work as an exhibition manager and producer for various institutions and international perennial formats, among them documenta, Wiesbaden Biennale, Schinkel Pavillon and Gropius Bau. She joined the Bergen Assembly team in 2019 as head of project for the past three editions in 2019, 2022 and 2025.

Maria (she/her) holds a master’s degree in art history from The University of Bergen. She has previously worked as the Communications Manager and Coordinator for Kunsthall Stavanger, as a Curator of Education for The Norwegian National Museum, and as Head of Education for Norske Billedkunstnere/Høstutstillingen. She joined the Bergen Assembly team in May, 2025, as Communications and Outreach Lead.


Kirsten Wandschneider
Interim Managing Director
kirsten@bergenassembly.no

Maria Råkil
Interim Deputy Director 
maria@bergenassembly.no

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