About the exhibition

In several newly produced and large-scale sculptures, we encounter Carola Grahn’s artistry, which explores our relationship to nature and the potential that Sámi worldviews can hold today. In Sámi cosmology, humans are part of nature, not masters of it, and everything in the universe is interwoven and dependent on each other. Likewise, the spiritual is not separate from physical reality; gods and ancestors live in the branches of trees, in lakes, in animals and under the stars. Grahn does not offer simple answers to how this view of nature can be practically translated into today’s lifestyle. Instead, her artwork, through humor and materiality, encourages curious and critical reflection on our relationship to and use of nature, where we often take without paying attention to what we give. Through the use of materials from the forest and the location in the park at Wanås, the works ask questions about ownership of land, the use and value of forest resources, and different perceptions of belonging to a place. Grahn evokes Sámi worldviews as a creative resource for critical reflection and future thinking. Like her sculptures, the exhibition title is open to different interpretations. It positions the forest as a threshold, as an entrance to alternative ways of knowing and understanding the natural landscape and the world at large.

Curators Malin Gustavsson and Milena Høgsberg

With the generous support of KnislingeVerken and the work Och till Lavskrikan is co-produced with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

About the artists