PRESENTATION: We Who Remain

In recent years, the Arctic has drawn growing international political attention – not only for its strategic importance, but also for its abundant natural resources. As global interest in the region intensifies, the voices of its Indigenous peoples have been sidelined – echoing earlier history, when the Sámi homeland was divided by imposed nation-state borders that continue to shape the region today.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Kiasma Archive

Jointly presented by Kiasma and the Sámi Museum Siida, the group exhibition “We Who Remain” brings together contemporary artworks by Sámi artists and works engaging with Sámi life across Sápmi, spanning Finland, Sweden, and Norway. The exhibition opens at Kiasma with selected works on view at Siida in Inari beginning in October.

The exhibition title draws on Johan Turi’s 1910 “Muitalus sámiid birra” (An Account of the Sámi) and aims to show how Sámi identity “endures and flourishes despite external pressures.” Selected works include recent pieces such as Siri Baggerman’s The Drone (2021), among others that interrogate surveillance, land use, language loss, and cultural resilience.

The Sámi are the Indigenous people of northern Europe. Their homeland, Sápmi, long predates the emergence of Nordic nation-states and their national ideologies, spanning present-day Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Sámi are part of the broader family of Arctic Indigenous peoples, and their traditional culture is grounded in fishing, hunting, reindeer herding, gathering, and Sámi handicrafts (duodji).

“We Who Remain” presents contemporary art that explores Sámi identity from within the community. Featuring more than twenty artists, the exhibition focuses primarily on works from the 2000s to the 2020s, while also including a small selection of earlier pieces, the oldest dating to the 1970s. Across these decades, the Sámi community has fought for recognition under Nordic law and for greater awareness internationally.

The works convey the sensitivity and emotional depth of Sámi life, while also revealing the forces that have hardened us and shaped us into survivors. For Sámi visitors, they reflect our community’s self-respect, joys, and sorrows. For Finnish audiences, they offer distinctly Sámi perspectives on Sámi life.

The exhibition is especially timely following the release of the final report of Finland’s Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission, submitted in December 2025 to the Finnish Government, the Sámi Parliament, and the Skolt Village Assembly. Containing 68 recommendations to improve the status of the Sámi people, the report underscores Finland’s responsibility as a country founded on the homelands of two peoples. Attention now turns to translating these recommendations into meaningful action.

Contemporary Sámi art and traditional Sámi crafts are experiencing a renaissance and attracting great international interest. Although the Arctic is receiving unprecedented global attention, the status of the peoples who live there is not necessarily improving. Critical issues – including land rights and the exploitation of natural resources – risk being overshadowed by NATO-related debate. These challenges affect Arctic Indigenous peoples such as the Sámi and Inuit alike, making it all the more essential that our stories are told and our voices heard.

Featured artists: Siri Baggerman, Tomas Colbengtson, Marja Helander, Rose-Marie Huuva, Berit Marit Hætta, Johdet x Pirak, Márjá Karlsen, Hans Ragnar Mathisen, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Joar Nango, Outi Pieski, Katarina Pirak Sikku, Raisa Porsanger, Jorma Puranen, Máret Ánne Sara, Eveliina Sarapää, Hilde Skancke Pedersen, Katarina Spik Skum, Lena Stenberg, Lada Suomenrinne, Arvid Sveen, Tapio Tapiovaara, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, Niillas Holmberg, Pekka Aikio

Photo: Raisa Porsanger, Go čájeha dan mii lea čiegaduvvon (When revealing the concealed), 2021, frame, reindeer leather, goat leather, wool cloth, nylon cord; & Jorma Puranen, Untitled from the series “Imaginary Homecoming”, 1991, photograph, Finnish National Gallery Collection, Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Petri Virtanen

Info: Curator: Petra Laiti, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Mannerheiminaukio 2, Helsinki, Finland, Duration: 27/3-6/9/2026, Days & Hours: Tue & Fri 10:00-20:00, wed-Thu 10:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00, https://kiasma.fi/