Čatnosat. The Sámi Pavilion, Indigenous Art, Knowledge and Sovereignty takes as its starting point a ground-breaking moment in the history of the Biennale Arte in Venice: the Indigenisation of the Nordic Pavilion in 2022, by 'The Sámi Pavilion' project. Featuring the creative practices and worldviews of Sámi artists and land guardians Pauliina Feodoroff, Máret Ánne Sara and Anders Sunna, the project represented a sovereign call for Sápmi (the Sámi homeland spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula) and revolved around three elements: transgenerational relations, holistic Sámi knowledge and learning, and Sámi spiritual perspectives. This book serves as a project in its own right, providing further explorations into Sámi art, wisdom, memory and ecology.
Published on the occasion of 'The Sámi Pavilion' project in the Nordic Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, 23 April - 27 November 2022.
Čatnosat, whilst inspired by 'The Sámi Pavilion', stands on its own feet to reflect on Indigenous sovereignty within the interconnected spaces of land, art and knowledge and to consider the centrality of story-telling, sound and the spoken word in Sámi perspectives. The book is conceived in three sections, neither beginnings nor ends, highlighting the importance of non-linear time in Sámi life. One section is dedicated to the artists' work and writings; a second section presents an experimental short play, poems, as well as stories interlinking Sámi spiritual, political and philosophical perspectives. A third section reflects upon Indigenous and Western concepts of land, the long history of Sámi epistemology, the relationship between Sámi land, people and language and the curatorial practices in 'The Sámi Pavilion' that seek to empower the above mentioned notions. An exercise in Sámification, Čatnosat advocates for the importance today of Indigenous holistic perspectives, and Sámi Indigenous wisdom in all fields of art and living.
Editors: Liisa-Rávná Finbog, Katya García-Antón, Beaska Niillas
Assistant editor: Liv Brissach
Contributors: Brook Garru Andrew, Asta Mitkijá Balto, Liv Brissach, Pauliina Feodoroff, Liisa-Rávná Finbog, Katya García-Antón, Harald Gaski, Timimie Gassko Märak, Beaska Niillas, Máret Ánne Sara, Sigbjørn Skåden, Ánde Somby, Anders Sunna
Collective Jurddabádji (two Sámi gatherings were conducted to inform the making of this book) participants: Anna Afanasyeva, Katarina Barruk, Liv Brissach, Tanya Busse, Pauliina Feodoroff, Liisa-Rávná Finbog, Katya García-Antón, Harald Gaski, Eeva Kristiina Harlin, Keviselie / Hans Ragnar Mathisen, Beaska Niillas, Taqralik Partridge, Outi Pieski, Fredrik Prost, Inga-Wiktoria Påve, Máret Ánne Sara, Sigbjørn Skåden, Katarina Skår Lisa, Anders Sunna.
Graphic design and visual identity: Hans Gremmen, in collaboration with Sámi duojárs Inga-Wiktoria Påve and Fredrik Prost
Supported by: Fritt Ord – The Freedom of Expression Foundation and Nordic Council of Ministers
