Indigeneity: Sámi art practices and politics

Through a series of collaborative initiatives in the Artistic Faculty that spans several institutions and working with the historical, political and cultural urgencies of Sámi histories and experiences specifically in Sweden, this journal issue will be developed from collaborative and iterative engagements with various artists, researchers and scholars. The issue is a curated anthology with the aim is to address the entanglements between the Swedish state and the Sámi people’s pursuit for the recognition of rights, justice and reparations from colonisation.

The contributions are informed by projects developed through ongoing collaborations and partnerships with Aejlies Sámi Centre in Dearna (Tärnaby), The Kin Museum of Contemporary Art, Várdduo – Centre for Sámi Research at Umeå University and Tjállegoáhte Sámi Writers’ Centre and Västerbottens Museum.

The objective of the PARSE theme is to foreground indigenous Sámi artistic practices in Sweden which make visible the historical conditions, political urgencies and cultural expressions in a two-fold approach. Firstly, to address the historical context of art and craft practices and their socio-cultural significance. Secondly to recognise the shifts in indigenous craft practices that inform contemporary art practices that are significant to the current political circumstances, ecological challenges and the growing urgency to forge alliances towards an envisioned indigenous futurity.

Sápmi and Its Cultural History: Open Seminars and Webinars, September 2026 – April 2027 coincides with the submission of the Final Report of the Truth Commission for the Sámi People in Sweden to the Ministry of Culture on September 30, 2026.

The series addresses a broad audience of arts and cultural professionals, researchers, and others who wish to deepen their knowledge of Europe’s Indigenous people and related issues. The focus is on the history and cultural history of Sápmi, as well as contemporary Sámi experiences, conditions and forms of cultural expression.

Topics in the series Schedule (HERE) (see additional link)

LINK to WEBINARS: (HERE) https://www.youtube.com/live/EUIyZ7Mbp20

The speakers are Sámi scholars and cultural practitioners and the seminars will be held in English.

Klara Björk will be in Research Partnership at UmArts in 2027: https://www.umarts.se/post-doctoral-research/

The journal issue will be a culmination of content developed from seminars and events hosted by the editors through various institutional collaborations with artists and curators from autumn 2026 through spring 2028.