Anders Sunna (b. 1985) is an artist from a forest reindeer herding family in Kieksiäisvaara, Sápmi (Norrbotten, Sweden). In his practice, Sunna explores different formats and expressions as tools for political activism and satire. The works convey stories of oppression and violence against the Sami people. More specifically, they depict Sunna's own history and the family's fifty-year struggle to protect and defend reindeer husbandry and the culture and way of life of their ancestors. The artist's paintings, graffiti, sculptures and installations bear witness to state abuse of authority and power, colonization of land, exploitation of natural resources, forced displacement and oppression.
With the exhibition We Don't Scream in the Forest, the public is invited into a total installation consisting of various elements, placed in what may resemble a court situation. However, the tableau is not identical to a typical courtroom. Designed in untreated wood, reindeer skin traps, flags and reindeer jawbones, and with the Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish constitutions pierced by knives, it is as if the power structures have been turned upside down. Time has apparently stopped and a sense of injustice characterizes the spatial installation, but also a satirical undertone.
Exhibition dates: 13th January - 11th February, 2024.
