The motif of making and setting traps has fascinated German artist Andreas Slominski since 1984, when (as the story goes) he discovered a metal trap for voles in a shop. As he explored the trap’s mechanism, he realized that this type of device not only had important plastic qualities, but that it also offered him the conceptual opportunity of rendering certain aspects of reality. Slominski was born in 1959 in Meppen. After completing his alternative civilian service, he enrolled at the University of Hamburg. But his university studies soon began to bore him, and he decided to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg.
While still a student (1983–86), he encountered his first trap, the object that would become his persistent motif. In the 20 years that have passed since, Slominski has been a tireless trap-maker. He has perfected the art of “setting” his traps and has managed to create an entire arsenal of animal traps.
Translated by Nina Gettler, of AEM Service
