Herring Hearing

Twenty-five herring have gathered for a roundtable discussion and crisis meeting in the Svartån River right at the castle. They stick their heads up out of lifebuoys painted in colours that can be associated with countries around the Baltic, Mediterranean and other overfished seas. They were present at the EU conference in Grisslehamn in 2023, which dealt, among other things, with the situation of fish and the fishing industry in the Baltic Sea. Despite the European Commission’s recommendation to cease herring fishing in the Baltic Sea, the politicians decided to allow continued unsustainable fishing.

Here in Örebro at the castle, a symbol of political power, the herring want to make their voices heard and invite us to have a conversation about necessary urgent measures.

The artist’s grandfather was a commercial fisherman and waterfowl hunter in the early 1900s – a time when fishing and hunting were still conducted on a small scale and sustainably.