Sápmi and Its Cultural History: Art and Life

Artist Britta Marakatt-Labba reflects on her artistic practice and how it has evolved as part of life in a reindeer-herding family.

Born in Ađevuopmi/Idivuoma and now living in Badje Sohppar/Övre Soppero (both in Giron/Kiruna Municipality on the Swedish side of Sápmi), Britta Marakatt-Labba has for more than half a century been one of the most influential Sámi artists. Since her international breakthrough at Documenta in Kassel in 2017, she has also come to be recognized as one of Northern Europe’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. Her work depicts everyday life, political and historical events, and motifs drawn from Sámi mythology. A recurring figure is the primordial mother wearing the red horn-shaped cap (ládjogáphir), once common throughout the North and East Sámi regions until it was prohibited by the Church during the nineteenth century.

Marakatt-Labba is best known for her embroideries, but she also tells her stories through printmaking, sculpture, and installation. Like the Sámi joik, her narratives often have neither a clear beginning nor a definitive end. Panoramic landscapes of white mountain plateaus provide the backdrop for richly detailed scenes unfolding in the foreground. In an early interview, she pointed out that textiles were something nomadic Sámi reindeer herders always carried with them during their annual migrations: they were lightweight, easy to pack, and easy to transport. In the same way, her own textiles ultimately originate in nature—and that is where they belong.

For more information about the seminar series Sápmi and Its Cultural History, click HERE