Tate Modern’s sponge-shaped turbine hall will be transformed by the work of Sammy artist Máretánne Sara this fall. Sara received the Modern Council, marking another major concern for indigenous art practices on the international stage.
From a reindeer family in Guovdageaidnu, Norway, Sara is a fierce critic of Nordic colonialism and an advocate for the survival of Sami culture, and her work is deeply rooted in the struggles and traditions of the community. She made international headlines in 2016 Pile O’Sápmi Supremean unforgettable installation of 400 bullet-type reindeer skulls was displayed outside the Norwegian parliament. Versions of this work were later included in Documenta 14 in 2017. At the 2022 Venice Biennale, she further promoted, contributing the internal sculpture of the solidified red reindeer calf, becoming the first ever Sámi-led Takeover of Nordic Pavilion.
For Tate Modern, Sara’s committee marks a wider institutional shift. Last year, director Karin Hindsbo promised to focus on indigenous art, aligning with a growing global movement to enhance the voice in the history of Western museums. The choice also coincides with the funding windfall: Tate and Hyundai have extended their partnership to 2036 and have provided long-term support to the Hyundai Turbine Hall Commission and the museum’s transnational research center. Artists who have served as the Turbo Hall Commission include Kara Walker, Cecilia Vicuña, Tania Bruguera, Olafur Eliasson and Doris Salcedo.
However, Sara is still focused on things that are more urgent than institutional trends. She told Aboriginal Perspective and the typical Western direction that there is a different way of thinking and existence. ” guardian. “Humans, nature and animals are interdependent and equal.” With the Turbo Hall that will be open on October 14, she will bring this worldview to one of the most obvious contemporary art spaces in the world.
