I’m Daniel Slåttnes, a visual artist based between Norway and Sweden, working with sculptural and technological bodies to explore how materials can sense, respond, and communicate — extending our understanding of what it means to be alive.
Much of my work explores the idea of agency in objects. I build with artificial muscles, brainwave sensors, and machine learning — all as tools to explore how materials might sense, communicate, or develop a kind of presence of their own. I’m interested in breaking down the boundary between subject and object, and imagine new forms of connection between people, objects, and environments.
My work often challenge conventional ideas of authorship, proposing instead a distributed form of expression where human and non-human actors co-create meaning. A recurring theme is the possibility of dialogue across systems — whether between two wooden chairs conversing via AI, or robotic sculptures responding to brain signals and environmental input.
I hold an MFA from the Academy of Fine Art in Oslo. My work has been shown at among others Meta.Morf – Biennale for Art & Technology, Arctic Arts Festival, RAM Gallery, Atelier Nord, and numerous Art Centres. Upcoming exhibitions include Palass, Kristiansund Kunsthall, and BO (Billedkunstnerne i Oslo).
My work is part of several collections, including that of Statens Konstråd (Public Art Agency Sweden).
Born 1986, Oslo, Norway
Phone.: +47 48174467 / +46 739124693
Member of Young Artists’ Society Norway (UKS),
The Association of Norwegian Visual Artists (NBK),
Norwegian Visual Artists Copyright Society (BONO)
Education
2012 – 2014
Master in Fine Art, Academy of Fine Art, Oslo National Academy of the Arts
2008 – 2011
Bachelor in Fine Art, Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Selected solo/collaborative exhibitions
2025 Kristiansund Kunsthall, NO (upcoming)
2025 Palass Gallery, Kristiansand, NO (upcoming)
2024 Creature That Experience, Vestfold Art Centre, NO
2021 Conversation Between Bodies 10.1, RAM Gallery, Oslo, NO
2020 Conversation Between Bodies 9.1, Oppland Art Centre, Lillehammer, NO
2019 Conversation Between Bodies 7.4 at Aldea Center for Contemporary Art, Bergen, NO
2018 Consciousness in the time of Kairos, Kurant, Tromsø, NO
2018 Vegetal Connections, Atelier Nord, Oslo, NO
2017 Seances with Materials, Platform 1-12, Topolcany, SK
2017 Conversation Between Bodies #2, Gallery BOA, Oslo, NO
2017 Individuation Treatments, Oslo Project Space, NO
2016 Conversation Between Bodies #1, Studio 17, Stavanger, NO
2016 Meditation Space, Oslo Utmark, East Forest of Oslo, NO
2016 Spiritual Time and Space, Visningsrommet USF, Bergen, NO
2015 Seances with Materials, Hotel Pro Forma, Copenhagen, DK and Podium, Oslo, NO
2015 This Is Its Body, Noplace, Oslo, NO
Selected group exhibitions
2025 dep.artment, Oslo, NO (upcoming)
2025 Lorem Impsum, BO, Oslo, NO (upcoming)
2023 Home Bodies, SKAL Contemporary, Skagen, DK
2022 Conversation Between Bodies #11, Hidden Connections – Visible Ecologies, Black Box Teater, Oslo, NO (in collaboration with Sara Rönnbäck)
2021 I Am a Multitude, The Arctic Arts Festival, Galleri Nord-Norge, Harstad, NO
2021 Wood & Clay, Greenlight Triennale, Kunsthall Grenland, Porsgrunn, NO
2021 Art’s Work in the Age of Biotechnology, University of Pittsburgh, US
2020 Plant Cyborgs, Digital Wild – Meta.Morf Biennale for Art and Technology, Trondheim, NO
2019 The breath that leaves me, stay inside, Corporum, Aarhus, DK
2019 A poem to the Oak, Ekebergparken Oslo European Green Capital, NO
2019 Hvitsten Salong, NO
2018 To learn to know a plant, Why Listen to Plants?, The North Norwegian Art Centre, Svolvær, NO
2018 Conversation Between Bodies 7.3, Stipendutstillingen, Art Museum of North Trøndelag, NO
2017 Collaboration with the houseplant, The National Art Exhibition / The Autumn Exhibition, Oslo, NO
2014 Meditations over form, Young. Promising, Punkt Ø / Gallery F 15, Moss, NO
2014 Meditations, The National Art Exhibition / The Autumn Exhibition, Oslo, NO
Collections
Body (2021) Public Art Agency Sweden
Wooden Coupling (2019) Private collection
Conversation Between Bodies (2017) Löfström Architectural Firm AB
Other engagements
2023-2025 Tiller videregående skole, Trondheim, NO public commission (upcoming)
2021 FuturEs of Living Technologies Symposium, Oslo Metropolitan University, NO
2017 Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium Residency, Vestfossen, NO
2015 Artist-in-residence at Hotel Pro Forma, København, DK
2017-19 Hildelund Art Festival (in collaboration with Sara Rönnbäck)
Artist books
Anthro-botanical investigations from the atelier
Conversations Between Bodies (in collaboration with Sara Rönnbäck)
Meditations (in Norwegian)
Reviews and interviews
ELEKTRONISK KUNST I NORGE, TEKS.press
Teknologiske blindveier, Billedkunst 2-2020
Teknologi-trivialiteters tyngde, Artscene.no
Interview, Atelier.as
Vægten af en forstenet snegl, Kunstkritikk.dk
Å koble seg på, Hakapik.no
Plantenes internett, Kunstkritikk.no
Interview Magasinet Kunst 4-2017
Kunstauk i Østmarka, Kunstkritikk.no
Stedsspesifikke meditasjoner, text by art critic Kjetil Røed
Tvilens tilstand, Kunstforum 1-2016
Spør støvet, Kunstkritikk.no
Tatt av lyset, Kunstkritikk.no
Stramme samspill, Kunstforum.as
Selected Grants and Awards
2025 Art Council Norway 3 Year Working Grant
2023 Grant from Ingrid Lindbäck Langaard’s Foundation
2022 Art Council Norway 3 Year Working Grant
2021 Working Grant from the Norwegian Visual Artists Fund (BKV)
2021 Project funding from DeepCA (Norwegian Research Council) and FeLT (Norwegian Artistic Research Programme)
2020 Grant from Ingerid, Synnøve and Elias Fegersen’s Foundation for Norwegian Visual Artists
2020 Working Grant from the Norwegian Visual Artists Fund
2019 Ørland Savings Bank’s Art Award
2019 The (P)ractical (I)ntelligent (G)enius Prize
2019 Working Grant from the Relief Fund for Visual Artists (BKH)
2018 Exhibition Grant from the Association of Art Centres in Norway
2018 Exhibition Grant from the Norwegian Culture Fund
2018 Project Grant from Region Värmland
2018 Working Grant from Arts Council Norway
2017 Grant from Inger & Iver Jåk’s Foundation
2017 Working Grant from the Norwegian Visual Artists Fund
2016 Exhibition Grant from the Norwegian Culture Fund
2016 Award for best exhibition from Visningsrommet USF
2016 Exhibition Grant from Bergen Municipality
2016 Working Grant from the Norwegian Visual Artists Fund
2015 Art & Technology Grant from the Norwegian Culture Fund
2015 The Norwegian Exhibition Grant
2015 Exhibition Grant from the Norwegian Culture Fund
2014 Grant from Ragnvald & Ida Blix’ Foundation