Nils Lagergren Swedish, b. 1965

Nils Lagergren has always been captivated by the sea, starting as a child by building ships and following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. From those early wooden toy ships, his craft evolved into creating vessels of all types and sizes. Over the years, he has crafted more than 100 miniature ships.

The transformative power of time and nature is a central theme in Lagergren’s art. In his ongoing and unique slow-art project, Ghost Fleet, he creates small ships that he sinks into the Baltic Sea, where the elements sculpt and transform them over years into hauntingly beautiful shipwrecks. These “ghost vessels,” adorned with scars, barnacles, and rust, are salvaged and reborn as striking symbols of nature’s and time’s imprint on human creation.

Complementing the physical ships are Lagergren’s underwater photographs, which capture the somber beauty of these sunken vessels.. His dreamy, scale-defying images invite viewers to witness the unseen lives of these submerged artworks, suspended between decay and rebirth.

Lagergren’s Ghost Fleet has been exhibited across Europe, most notably in Sweden and the UK. His work stands as a testament to the interplay between art, time, and the forces of nature, offering viewers an evocative glimpse into the silent, untold stories of the sea.