atlantic wall

Tor Simen Ulstein

6.7 - 6.8.23

Intro

Ulstein looks at the Atlantic Wall, a coastal defence line built by the Nazis between 1940- 45 using forced labour, which stretches from southern France to northern Norway. Made to defend the coastline against an allied assault, the abandoned bunkers now stand empty, relics of a dark legacy of occupation.

Ever since he was a boy on a family vacation to a beach in Denmark, Ulstein has been intrigued by the alien, misplaced concrete objects that are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Defining them as historical scars, he photographs them in order to preserve the collective memory of an extreme period of European history characterized by nationalist ideologies. The story of these seemingly innocuous shelters is more relevant than ever, as right-wing radical movements continue to grow, and the expansionist politics of various nations once again look to military solutions to solve their domestic problems.

Image top - Bunker 58.539, 8.976 Kalvøysund (2022)

Image bottom - fragment 58.111, 6.592 Borhaug (2023)

fragment-58.111-6.592-Borhaug

Installation shots

2023_07_VS_TSU_WebRes_01
2023_07_VS_TSU_WebRes_02

Fotogalleri Vasli Souza
Damplassen 21
0852, Oslo
Norway

Opening hours:
Thursday – Friday:
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm 
Saturday – Sunday:
12:00 am – 4:00 pm  
Monday – Wednesday: 
Closed  

The gallery is kindly supported by:
Tor S. Ulstein :)

Subscribe
Be the first to know about our next vernissage.