Interview
Morten Saether
Morten Saether is a freelance photographer and artist. He enjoys blending digital and traditional photographic techniques.
In addition to his self-taught artistic practice, Morten has enjoyed an extensive professional career as a Graphic Designer and Art Director.
Morten's photography, as well as paintings and drawings, have been exhibited in Collioure, France, Barcelona, Spain, Fredrikstad, Horten, and Oslo, Norway. Morten plans to show his work elsewhere in Europe and is focusing his attention on Paris and Barcelona.
Morten lives in Oslo, Norway.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“In addition to graphic design, I have a background in advertising. As a child, I used to draw portraits of my mother's cat and sold them to her friends. My goal was to be an architect, but I could not get into university because of my grades. As a result, I became an Art Director and Graphic Designer. Later, I lived in the south of France for a year. During that time, I wanted to paint and then have a gallery exhibition. Thankfully, I did. Throughout my career, I have also been interested in photography. As part of my job, I have been exposed to a variety of professional photographers in Norway, so I have learned a great deal from them. I had to make my own way as I had no formal education. This is why I started experimenting with mixed photography techniques.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I am always on the lookout for interesting and graphic things along the way. Many of the items I find are things that no one wants. I can sometimes make a collage with just the pattern or shadow I see on a wall.
Paris has been on my travel itinerary a lot. I walked the corridors and the different Metro stations looking for posters that were torn. In total, I have thousands of photos from the Metro. I am sure that someday I will publish a book.”
What would you say inspires you most?
“My inspiration comes from travelling. I love to walk down old streets in new cities with my camera in hand. I enjoy watching buildings, looking at grafitti, having local food and wine, and attending art exhibitions. Additionally, I buy local books and magazines to get a sense of the culture there. I'm also very passionate about typography, posters, and illustrations.”
“A lot of my work is based around photography. I am also passionate about traditional collage. So often, I use a lot of different photos and layer them in a new way, mostly abstract but with elements you can recognize.”
How would you describe your work?
“As a result of experimenting with a multitude of styles and techniques in my photography and painting over the last three years, I have developed three "languages": 1 - Mixed Photography, 2 - Mixed Photography + Painting, 3 - Cut-outs from own photography.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Artists such as Braque, Matisse, Picasso, Corbusier, Rothko, Dubuffet, Miro, Warhol, and Richter greatly influence my work. Additionally, I follow numerous artists on Instagram.”
What is your creative process like?
“I paint in my studio or at home when I am sitting in front of my computer. Since I have thousands of photos on my computer, it all starts there. I pick out the ones I want to pursue and begin the long trial-and-error process. My work is sometimes completed in an hour. Other times it takes days. It's like another world in my atelier. I paint with acrylic on canvas or paper - process that takes time and patience.
Prints from photographs: I begin downloading high-definition photos from my "Bibliotheque". I then combine them in Photoshop. Artwork can be composed of up to 10 photos. Mixing colours and contrasts, working with contrasts and contrasting colours, making it work, with or without an element you're familiar with, is the fun process. It's like creating a digital collage. Every art print has 10 limited edition copies made available. The paper used is Canson Rag and each copy is printed in 12 colours. When it comes to quality, I do not compromise. That's why my printer guy is also a professional photographer. Together we can work out all the details.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The presence of an artist can be like a smile in your life. In general, I feel that people need to pause from time to time, to get inspired, to do some other thing and to think about something completely different. There are those who want to be entertained, and those who just wish to enjoy the beauty of a painting. I think we should embrace diverse cultures in general. Take a look at all of the cultural institutions that closed due to the pandemic. Now they're coming to light.”
“Photography is often the essence of my art. Traditional collages are also my favourite. The work I produce is often a combination of different photographs presented in a novel way, usually abstract but sometimes with recognizable elements."
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“2018. URB. The Albin Art Gallery, Oslo. I presented my artwork from my series called 'URB' (Urban 'landscapes' from Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Oslo).
2019. Summer Group Exhibition (CrisolArt), Barcelona, Spain. A gallery in Barcelona invited me to exhibit 4 pieces as part of their summer show. I was one of five artists exhibiting. There are two galleries: one in Barcelona and one in New York.
2019. FORM. The Tveten Gård. Oslo.
Change, Reform, Metamorphoses embodies 20 elements of the farm and the natural environment. This is my largest exhibition to date. The exhibition sold big.
I was also featured in an Australian artbook in 2019.
Publishers in Australia asked me if I wanted to be included in their first curated artbook. Every artist received a double page with their text/work presented.”
