Benjamin Slotterøy
Fangst – flaskeposter fra et havdyp
[Catch – messages in bottles from the ocean depths]
Exhibition Spaces on the 2nd Floor
20.02.—30.03.2025
The exhibition, Fangst – flaskeposter fra et havdyp is the result of a prolonged artistic process that started in 2021. Here, fragments of the past, present, and future are tied together in an exploration of identity, craft traditions, and societal changes.
The basis of the project is the artist’s own lived experience of growing up queer in an island community in Helgeland in Northern Norway, where the heteronormative environment fostered a sense of exclusion. This led to a distancing from the local community and its coastal culture. In adulthood, however, a need to reclaim this history has manifested itself. Once-abandoned elements are now incorporated into a new framework of understanding.
The maritime culture has a long-standing tradition of craftsmanship, but several of these practices are now at risk of disappearing. Slotterøy examines how established values and techniques respond to the current demands for adaptation and sustainability. Another central aspect of the project is a reflection on the masculine ideals inherent in fishing culture and the impact of industrialisation on nature. Historically, fishing has been a balanced practice, yet today the industry is marked by rationalisation and increased resource consumption. The question is whether new perspectives can contribute to a more sustainable and balanced culture.
The organically shaped glassworks in this exhibition can be perceived as both a product of nature and happenstance. The works appear unstable and carry a suggestion of messages in bottles retrieved from the ocean depths, while also referencing phallic-like, empty defensive structures - a reflection on the loss of tradition in the face of modernity.
The works function as a cohesive argument, with the visual elements symbolising inherited knowledge, identity, and the necessity of adaptation.
Benjamin Slotterøy lives and works in both Stockholm and Lurøy municipality at the Helgeland coast, where he was born and raised. He studied at Glasskolan in Kosta, Sweden, the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland, and Konstfack in Stockholm. He also has education as curator from the Bergen Academy of Art and Design. Slotterøy has been responsible for several projects at Sleneset, including Periferi PINK and Havets menn, in addition to initiating, producing, and curating Kunst i havgapet, an international art festival at Sleneset. Slotterøy is represented in several public and private collections, including Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, KODE in Bergen, The Glass Factory in Boda, the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, and the Swedish Glass Museum in Växjö.
The exhibition has received support from Arts Council Norway.