Atlantica - 01.03.2001, Page 12

10 A T L A N T I C A
The Gas Man
When a driver pulls into one, it’s to fill up and freshen up. Rarely, if ever, do drivers give them a second thought. Gas
stations are purely functional. But to Icelandic photographer, Sigurthór Hallbjörnsson, otherwise known as Spessi,
they have their own, distinct personality.
“Each petrol station is like an individual,” Spessi says, discussing his collection of portraits that make up his success-
ful photo series, “Bensin” (Icelandic for gasoline). “I approach each gas station and take its photograph as if it were a
single person.”
“Bensin” was recently exhibited at the commercial gallery Roebling Hall in Brooklyn, and the show was such a hit that
Spessi, who studied photography at the respected Akademie voor Beeldende Kunst in the Netherlands, received a
riveting review in the NY Times. Next up for Spessi, beginning in March, selected portraits from “Bensin” are slated
to hang at the Lydmar Hotel, a stylish hotel in Stockholm.
“Why gas stations?” appears to be the obvious question to ask a photographer who’s focused his lens on such an
iconic signature for so long. Spessi’s answer certainly resonates as much as his stirring photographs: colourful
portraits that capture the emptiness of Iceland.
“When a gas station first opens it looks like a carbon copy of the chain it belongs to. All Shell stations look similar, but
as time passes they begin to blend into the surrounding environment. The owners add their own personal touches.
The stations begin to look like human beings.”
Human beings stranded in the beautiful, yet harsh isolation that is the Icelandic countryside. EW
For more information on Spessi’s work, e-mail spessi@email.com
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