On February 1st, we are opening the exhibition: Buot iežan bohccuid dovddan – Karen Anna ja su siida / All my reindeer I know / Karen Anna and her siida, by Grete Andrea Kvaal.
WhatExhibition opening: Buot iežan bohccuid dovddan – Karen Anna and her siida / I know all my reindeer – Karen Anna and her
Where: Davvi álbmogiid guovddáš / Centre for Northern Peoples, The Gallery
When1 February
Exhibition period: 1 February - 16 April
«The world is constantly changing, and such images become important for posterity.».
Karen Anna Nilsdatter Logje Gaup, 1986
This is how the reindeer herder Inga Karen Anna Nilsdatter Logje Gaup expressed herself to photographer Grete Andrea Kvaal, when the first pictures of her were taken in 1986.
This was the start of the exhibition documenting Karen Anna's daily life as a reindeer herder. The exhibition consists of black-and-white photographs taken between 1986 and 1993, and the short film «All My Reindeer I Know» from 2020, directed by Grete Andrea Kvaal and with Karen Anna's granddaughter, Ànne Katjá Nilsdatter Gaup, as cinematographer.
Karen Anna, born in 1938, lives her life following the reindeer, in the spring from winter pastures in Kautokeino to summer pastures on Arnøya, in the autumn back to the winter pastures. In 1989 she was widowed, but this did not stop her from pursuing reindeer herding.
In the film, we meet Karen Anna as she reflects on her long and eventful life, some 30 years after the photographs were taken. She is 81 years old and still active in reindeer herding.
«It's always so fun to get up early and work with the reindeer, no matter the season. It's the greatest».
Karen Anna Nilsdatter Logje Gaup, 2020
To highlight women in reindeer husbandry
Artist Grete Andrea Kvaal was born and raised in Tromsø. Her objective with the project has, among other things, been to highlight and promote the important position of women in reindeer herding.
– When I was growing up, I saw many pictures of men with reindeer, but none of women. I knew that reindeer herding and the position of women were undergoing significant change, and wanted to capture motifs on film that would disappear, says Kvaal, about the background for the project.
Photography is Kvaal's artistic expression. She mostly works with analogue black and white, but in recent years has also incorporated colour and digital photography. The projects often last for several years.
The exhibition provides a snapshot of women in reindeer herding, and Kvaal hopes that young people in particular will learn something from the exhibition.
– By making the recent past visible, they will be able to connect back to their female and male ancestors, and take part in their experience and knowledge, says Kvaal.
The project «Karen Anna and her siida» also resulted in a book publication in 2001.
The exhibition is supported by the Sami Parliament, Samfunnsløftet, the Norwegian Arts Council, and Fritt Ord.
Another project by the artist is the award-winning still-life film «Diary of a Farewell» (2003) about her cousin's death. She is currently working on the series «A Wonderful Life,» images that explore the flower's short life and transformation. In addition to books, film, acquisitions and public commissions, Kvaal's projects are communicated through multimedia, teaching and exhibitions both in Norway and abroad.
Due to the situation surrounding Covid-19, there will be no event surrounding the opening.
Current links
A Sámi woman's life, about the Karen Anna project and her siida, Norge Rundt, NRK 1988