Britta Marakatt-Labba
Britta Marakatt-Labba is a renowned Sámi artist. She works with textiles to express the deep cultural and spiritual connection the Sámi have with snow and the natural world. Her works reveal how life in the Arctic is shaped by natural cycles and seasonal changes.
Britta Marakatt-Labba’s works can be found in the inner hall of the exhibition space. There, visitors first encounter a video showing the piece Historjá, a 24‑meter embroidered narrative artwork that tells the story of the Sámi people with remarkable precision. Every stitch carries memory and captures the resilience of a people who have lived in close relationship with nature and tradition. The work invites reflection on cultural continuity and how history is recorded, preserved, and retold. You can sit and watch the video while listening to Joik, traditional sami singing, in the headphones.
On the wall beside it are four silk prints:
Snow Dust (silkscreen print), the swirling snow becomes a storytelling element, tracing journeys and landscapes across time.
The Lake That Was Emptied (silkscreen print) documents the loss of Lake Luossajärvi in Kiruna, emptied to accommodate mining operations. For generations the lake provided rest for migrating reindeer and respite for herding families, while also serving as a recreation space for local people. The disappearance of this place reflects the deep and overlooked consequences of industrial expansion on Sámi life, culture and the natural world.
The Environment Cannot Wait (silkscreen print) shows where the silhouette of a mining mountain looms over what was once lush pastures. The work draws attention to the tension between industrial exploitation, climate crisis and the urgent need to protect fragile ecosystems. The environmental and cultural stakes of global warming are in the foreground, emphasizing that these threats are not abstract, they affect real landscapes, communities and generations.
On the Way (silkscreen) depicts the annual migration of reindeer to summer grazing grounds, a vital ritual of Sámi life. The artist’s distinctive visual language, capturing movement, care and continuity, illustrates how tradition, landscape and survival are inseparably linked.
Snow Dust (silkscreen print), the swirling snow becomes a storytelling element, tracing journeys and landscapes across time.
The Lake That Was Emptied (silkscreen print) documents the loss of Lake Luossajärvi in Kiruna, emptied to accommodate mining operations. For generations the lake provided rest for migrating reindeer and respite for herding families, while also serving as a recreation space for local people. The disappearance of this place reflects the deep and overlooked consequences of industrial expansion on Sámi life, culture and the natural world.
The Environment Cannot Wait (silkscreen print) shows where the silhouette of a mining mountain looms over what was once lush pastures. The work draws attention to the tension between industrial exploitation, climate crisis and the urgent need to protect fragile ecosystems. The environmental and cultural stakes of global warming are in the foreground, emphasizing that these threats are not abstract, they affect real landscapes, communities and generations.
On the Way (silkscreen) depicts the annual migration of reindeer to summer grazing grounds, a vital ritual of Sámi life. The artist’s distinctive visual language, capturing movement, care and continuity, illustrates how tradition, landscape and survival are inseparably linked.
Bio
Britta Marakatt-Labba, born in 1951 and raised in a reindeer-herding family in the Lainovuoma Sámi village, began her artistic career in 1979 after completing studies at the School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg. In 1978, she helped establish the Masi Group and was involved in building a Sámi artists’ organization the following year. In the 1980s, she participated in the Alta protests, which she depicted in her well-known work The Crows (1983).
Today, she lives and works in Övre Soppero and has been active as an artist for over 40 years. Her international breakthrough came in 2017 when her 24-meter-long embroidery Historjá (2003-2007) was exhibited at the prestigious contemporary art exhibition Documenta 14. Her life and artistry were portrayed in the film Historjá – Stitching for Sápmi (2022).
Photograph: Tim Kristensson
Listen to Britta talk about her art in her native language:
