Histories: Three generations of Sámi artists at the Queen Sonja Art Stable, Oslo

On show this year in central Oslo, in the former Royal Stables of the palace, an important art exhibition is taking place until the end of August 2019.

Histories is a wide-ranging exhibition presenting 61 works by three generations of Sámi artists from Norway, Sweden and Finland. Included are such long-established and influential artists as Iver Jåks (1932–2007), the post-war sculptor, craft artist, and painter. Two artists who began their careers in the 1970s, Norwegian Sami Synnøve Persen and Swedish Sami Britta Marakatt-Labba, are also well-represented, along with a number of younger Sami artists from different fields. 

Detail, History (tapestry), Britta Marakatt-Labba

  Some years ago I had the pleasure of viewing Marakatt-Labba’s tapestry, titled History, imposing in size (20 meters long), but also captivating in its embroidered figures and landscapes from Sami history in on a long wall at the Arctic University of Tromsø. This is the tapestry’s first exhibition in Oslo, though it’s also been shown in New York and Europe.

For more details, see the exhibition’s brochure (PDF).