MORTEN SLETTEMEÅS:

Apples and Frostbites

JO-HS gallery is pleased to present Morten Slettemeås (b.1975) Apples and Frostbites, the artists’ first exhibition at the gallery opening April 10th and on view until June 14th.

There are only two places where apples are grown in Norway. Morten Slettemeas, hailing from the picturesque village of Gvarv in Norway, brings a deep connection to the land, its rhythms, and its harvests into his evocative body of work. Gvarv, nestled in an agricultural region renowned for its fruit cultivation, especially apples, forms the backdrop of his artistic exploration.

Apples and Frostbites explores Slettemeås’ unique ability to convey the contrasts and fragility of the natural world through painting, alternating between figurative and abstract. The exhibition explores the tension between the allure of the apple and the destructive power of frostbite, symbolizing how beauty (like the apple) often carries an inherent danger (like the frostbite), creating a narrative of the fragility of life in the natural world.

A simple apple—indicative of a change of seasons—potentiates a radical shift in Gvarv’s atmosphere. An element that Slettemeås’ integrates deeply in his works. The prescient red, green, and yellow frequencies wake all of Midt Telemark (Norwegian region) to an emotional harvest where community and joy upend the dark months of winter where temperatures reach at least -25.° It is in the contrasting summer months that the heat brings back the textures and colors unseen for at least 8 months. It is interesting to notice how an apple can become a relevant token for the community and for Slettemeås himself. For people that have not experienced a stark seasonal transition it may be hard to understand how much the “mood” or “atmosphere” of weather patterns can change human comportment. However, for Slettemeås it is evident that the world acquires a new bloom accentuating the apple harvest as the ascent from the underworld. That is to say, the contrast between apples and frostbites is a homage to Slettemeås’ worldview.

The candid works hypnotize the observer to the foreground of a figuration that cannot be traced to a particular timeline. His work seeks the eternal form of expression although its timelessness transmutes the background at ease and takes us on a journey that incorporates the landscape of his beloved Gvarv. There is a gentle playfulness at core with Slettemeås’ intent and the audience’s pattern recognition. Both visibility and traceability are elemental to Cezanne’s early influence on Slettemeås and his homage to the fruit his far fetched teacher adored. He too appreciates the meta-contextual essence of how a fruit is able to bring back the aromas of the fields, of the sun that garnished it, of the rains that nurtured it, and of the melancholy it triggers when the season has passed its summit.

Moreover, the clear affective landscapes Slettemeås encompasses in his brushstrokes are remnants of a Norwegian lineage. He is indeed walking in the shoes of Norwegian giants—and we don’t mean the Jötnar (the mythological Norse giants); rather, with Norwegian masters like Ludvig Karsten’s colors and layering of pigments, Halfdan Egedius’ young career and melancholic forms, the late Edvard Munch and his emotional work, and a bit of Harald Sohlberg—whose works were deeply linked to affective experiences manifested in landscape—are clearly in Slettemeås technique and vision. Nevertheless, their process was radically different, working with timely precision hardly letting speed or luck play a role in their overall work, and others with brushstrokes reflecting often that rush and anxiety to create something that could transfer emotions throughout the work. In this sense Slettemeås has taken into conversation a plethora of elements to work the parts of each painting. Like Jarle Strømodden writes in his previous exhibitions on the background of his landscape “[He] do[es] not take a dominant or centering position. They seem to be only appearing, rather than standing out.”

Slettemeås’ work breathes new aromas like when we experience the first bite of a freshly harvested apple, reminding us of the first experiences we have lived when we were newly born.

Biography

Morten Slettemeås was born in 1975 and grew up in Gvarv, Telemark. He now lives and works in Oslo. Slettemeås was educated at Einar Granum's Art School (1996–1998) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo (1999–2003).

Slettemeås works with painting, alternating between the figurative and the abstract, with references to art history, contemporary events, and popular culture. By using his own ideas and experiences and placing them in the context of international events, his work unfolds as a form of personal storytelling. Several of his works draw inspiration from the tradition of landscape painters in Telemark, blended with influences from the globalized world.

Morten Slettemeås is recognized as a resilient colorist, known for his expressive and vibrant paintings, often presented in large formats.

He has exhibited his works at Kunsthall Grenland, Telemark Art Museum, Bomuldfabriken in Arendal, Lillehammer Art Museum, Haugar Art Museum, Sørlandets Art Museum, Stavanger Art Museum, and Stenersen Museum in Oslo, as well as at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de San Luis Potosí and the Museo de la Cancillería in Mexico.

Slettemeås's works have been acquired by Sørlandets Art Museum, Malmö Art Museum, and the Norwegian Cultural Council. Additionally, he is represented in private collections in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico.