Sámi Dáiddamagasiidna stewards one of the largest collections of dáidda (Sámi contemporary art) and dáiddaduodji (Sámi artistic heritage craft) with major funding from the Sámediggi/Sámi Parliament in Kárášjohka. The Sámediggi also supports our efforts at local, national, and international dissemination of Sámi artwork. As part of our mission to facilitate access to the collection, artworks will be regularly exhibited at the Sámediggi main building through four rotating exhibitions each year. Each exhibition is installed in advance of the Sámediggi’s plenary sessions, creating a new presentation for every plenary meeting. Below, you will find the curatorial statement for Sámi Dáiddamagasiidna’s current display at the Sámediggi in Kárášjohka.
The River Returns Us
These selected works from Sámi Dáiddamagasiidna – RiddoDuottarMuseat highlight different artistic perspectives on rivers. Throughout Sápmi, rivers provide resources, create pathways between communities, and even form boundaries between places. The featured artists reflect on different relationships between Sámi people and river systems, illustrating the important role Indigenous communities fulfil as stewards of their environment.
Josef Halse and Iver Jåks create atmospheric works that convey a sense of how the spring thaw renews the flow of rivers, affecting human presence within the landscape. Works by Per Andersen, Petteri Laiti, Jørn M. Rivojen Langseth, Gerd Lorås, and Britta Marakatt-Labba thoughtfully express how our relationship to water transforms over time, resulting in creative adaptations of both tools and social networks. Works by Nils Nilsson Skum, Jon Ole Andersen, Johan Rist, and Monica L. Edmondson reflect on how reindeer herders account for migration routes transformed by moving water, using their skills and knowledge to connect the lands that rivers touch.
Rivers have also been the site of Sámi community resistance to colonial institutions seeking to exploit or restrict these natural cycles. Susanne Hætta’s photographic work is a tribute to Synnøve Persen’s painting, Dalende Symbol (1984), about the Alta Conflict of the 1970s. Hætta’s art reminds viewers of a pivotal moment when local artists aligned their practice with activism regarding Sámi rights, marking solidarity with global Indigenous climate actions.
Through duodji, painting, prints, glass, and mixed media, these various Sámi artists consider how the seasonal rhythm of rivers shape memory and community resilience. Together, these artworks offer insights on how the responsibilities between Sámi people and rivers developed over millennia, forming meaningful connections to land and informing discussions regarding Indigenous sovereignty.
Read more on the Sámi Parliament´s webpage: Utstilling på Sametinget om samiske forhold til elver, vann og landskap
Curator: Pablo Barrera