Suohpanterror

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Suohpanterror
Formation2012
TypeActivist artist group
HeadquartersFinland
Award(s)Kritiikin Kannukset [fi] (2016)

Suohpanterror is a Finland-based Sámi art and activist group. It includes a group of anonymous artists from Finland, Norway, and Sweden, producing memes and other visual arts distributed largely via social media, posters, and performance art.[1] Suohpanterror describes its work as "artivism" with a focus on resisting "colonization and environmental injustice in Sápmi."[2]

History[edit]

The group began its work in 2012,[3][4] using Facebook as a distribution platform.[3] Beyond social media, Suohpanterror's art has been exhibited at Littfest [sv] in Umeå, Sweden;[1] the Siida Sámi Museum in Inari, Finland;[5] the Helsinki City Library's Library 10 facility;[6] the World Village Festival in Helsinki;[7] the XXII Triennale di Milano in Italy;[8] Saw/Gallery Nordic Lab in Ottawa;[9] and the 2020 Biennale of Sydney in Australia.[10] Suohpanterror was included in the SAAMELAISTA nykytaidetta = Dálá SÁMI dáidda = SÁMI Contemporary travelling exhibition of contemporary Sámi art that visited Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Germany in 2014–2015. "Suohpangiehta," the group's version of Rosie the Riveter, was used as the cover of the exhibition catalogue.[11]

The group's artists remain anonymous in an effort to keep the focus on their message, but Jokkmokk, Sweden-based artist Jenni Laiti acts as the group's spokesperson.[12]

The group's name, "Suohpanterror," comes from suohpan, the Northern Sámi language word for the lasso used to catch reindeer, plus the English word terror to mean "fear of the lasso."[13] It refers in an ironic way to hostility towards Sámi asserting their identity and rights, including their sometimes being labeled terrorists.[14]

Suohpanterror is known for its propaganda posters that draw from pop art, advertising, and popular culture.[15][16] The group's primary medium is digital art,[17] employing détournement techniques, culture jamming, and political satire.[4][18] This often means taking common images and giving them a Sámi context, such remaking the Barack Obama "Hope" poster as a portrait of former Sámi Parliament president Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi [fi].[5]

Suohpanterror's "Suohpangiehta" (2013) poster reenvisions J. Howard Miller's "We Can Do It!" (c. 1943) to signify Sámi feminism and self-determination.

During the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election, in response to long-delayed efforts to reform the Finnish Sámi District Act [fi], Suohpanterror produced a number of posters urging people to vote for Sámi candidates.[19]

"Suohpangiehta"[edit]

One of Suohpanterror's most widely reproduced images is "Suohpangiehta," its 2013 reenvisioning of J. Howard Miller's "We Can Do It!" poster, replacing Rosie the Riveter's factory garb with a gátki, liidni, and gahpir (traditional Sámi clothing). Above her is the phrase "suohpangiehta," which translates literally from Northern Sámi as 'lasso hand' and refers to someone particularly skilled in using a lasso.[20] The image has been described as speaking to Sámi feminism, as well as appropriating notions of American power and military might.[21] Suohpanterror spokesperson Jenni Laiti describes the image as saying to Sámi "This is who we are and we can do it."[22]

Message[edit]

In line with the Sámi ČSV movement, Suohpanterror seeks to draw attention to the rights of the Sámi people and the grievances they have experienced with its "artivism," including discrimination and racism, exploitation of Sápmi's natural resources, and Finland's failure to ratify International Labour Organization Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.[5][8] Some of Suohpanterror's works are intended for internal discussion among Sámi, while others are for the majority Nordic population. The group also comments on the problems of indigenous peoples and minorities living elsewhere in the world.[16] Suohpanterror says it encourages civil disobedience, but does not condone violence.[23]

In 2014, the group mounted a public display of anti-mining posters in Utsjoki, Finland, to support opposition to plans for a diamond mine in the area.[24] In 2015, Suohpanterror worked with Greenpeace and Niillas Holmberg [fi] when Holmberg scaled the equestrian statue of Marshal Mannerheim in Helsinki to unfurl banners and the Sámi flag in protest of Finland's policies towards Sámi and the Arctic.[14][25] In 2016, the group designed a May Day logo for the Finnish Communist Party (SKP) with a raised Sámi fist and the Finnish–Sámi bilingual slogan "Alas porvarihallitus! — Borgárráđđehus vulos!" ('Down with the bourgeois government!').[26] The same year, the group send postcards depicting hanged Sámi to the Parliament of Finland to protest the Teno Fisheries Agreement.[27][28] In 2018, Suohpanterror partnered with Greenpeace and Sámi youth organization Suoma Sámi Nuorat [se] to protest plans for the Arctic Ocean Railway.[29]

Awards[edit]

Suohpanterror was awarded the 2016 Finnish Critics Association [fi] Kritiikin Kannukset [fi] Award. According to the jury, Suohpanterror was recognized for "using the language of art in a striking and artistic way,"[30] as well as for combining icons from art history and popular culture with documentary themes.[31] Suohpanterror is the first group of anonymous artists to receive a Kritiikin Kannukset Award.[30]

Exhibitions[edit]

A partial list of solo and group exhibitions featuring Suohpanterror

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Lantto Heldebro, Freja (13 March 2014). "Samiskt motstånd på Littfest" [Sámi Resistance at Littfest]. Kulurnytt I P1 (in Swedish). Sverige Radio. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Exhibition: Toolkit for Revolution". Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Trinity Square Video/. 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Tikkanen, Jouni (27 March 2015). "Suohpanterror maalaa saamelaista realismia" [Suohpanterror paints Sámi realism]. Suomen Luonto (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b Toijonen, Siskotuulikki (15 May 2016). "Suohpanterror ampuu tahallaan yli" [Suohpanterror Deliberately Overshoots]. Kansan Uutiset (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Heikkinen, Mikko-Pekka (10 March 2013). "Pohjoisen eturintama" [The Northern Front]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ^ Suoninen, Inger-Elle (17 October 2013). "'Suohpanterror onnistuu siirtämään saamelaisten kohtaaman vääryyden tämän päivän mediakuvastoon'" ['Suohpanterror manages to transfer the injustice faced by the Sámi to today's media catalog']. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ^ Aikio, Áile (23 May 2014). "Maailma kylässä sahkan dálkkádat – Sámediggi, Suohpanterror ja City-Sámit maid fárus" [World Village Festival breathes climate — the Finnish Sámi Parliament, Suohpanterror, and City-Sámit also included]. Yle (in Northern Sami). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b Aikio, Áile (2019). "What is the role of activism and civil disobedience in creating sustainability and equality?". Everday Experiments. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  9. ^ Simpson, Peter (Spring 2020). "Spring in Ottawa spells nature on the arts scene" (PDF). Diplomat and Ineternational Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. p. 80. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Suohpanterror". 22nd Biennale of Sydney (2020). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ^ "SAAMELAISTA nykytaidetta = Dálá SÁMI dáidda = SÁMI Contemporary" (in Finnish). Rovaniemi: Kulttuuritalo Korundi. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  12. ^ Aromaa, Jonni (5 February 2017). "Aktivisti: Saamelaisuutta käytetään surutta Lapin markkinoinnissa eikä meiltä kysytä mitään" [Activist: Sámi are sadly used in marketing Lapland, but we are not asked anything]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  13. ^ Caron, Grégoire (14 December 2017). "Le cri de Suohpanterror" [The Cry of Suohpanterror]. ArtsHebdoMédias (in French). Deauville, France. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  14. ^ a b Junka-Aikio, Laura (2018). "Indigenous Culture Jamming: Suohpanterro and the articulation of Sami political community". Journal of Aesthetics & Culture. 10 (4). doi:10.1080/20004214.2017.1379849. S2CID 149564662.
  15. ^ Säilynoja, Juhana (9 December 2014). "Taiteilijaryhmä Suohpanterror nostaa vääryydet esiin" [The Artists Group Suohpanterror Highlights Injustice]. Elävä Arkisto (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  16. ^ a b Tamminen, Jari (April 2014). "Arktinen terrori" [Arctic Terror]. fifi.voima.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 9 August 2014.
  17. ^ Heikkinen, Mikko-Pekka (30 October 2016). "Suohpanterror on nuorten saamelaisten vastaisku" [Suohpanterror is a counterattack by the young Sámi]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  18. ^ Taylerson, Cassandra Lydia (2019). Activism Through Art: The Indigenous Narratives of Suohpanterror (M.A.). Tampere, Finland: Tampere University. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  19. ^ Paltto, Anni-Saara (29 March 2023). "Sápmelaččat leat šaddan eanet aktiivvalažžan dáin riikabeaiválggain, árvala politihka professor" [Sámi have become more active with the national election, suggests professor of politics]. YLE (in Northern Sami). Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  20. ^ Sandström, Moa (2020). "Bilden av Motstånd" [The Picture of Resistance]. Dekoloniseringskonst: Artivism i 2010-talets Sápmi [Decolonization Art: Artivism in 2010s Sápmi] (PhD thesis) (in Swedish). Umeå, Sweden: Umeå Universitet. p. 153. ISBN 978-91-7855-335-8.
  21. ^ Hertz, Carrie (2021), "Sámi Gátki", in Hertz, Carrie (ed.), Dressing with Purpose: Belonging and Resistance in Scandinavia, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, p. 187, ISBN 9780253058584, retrieved 7 October 2021
  22. ^ Debatty, Régine (7 April 2015). "Suohpanterror. Propaganda posters from Sápmi". We Mak$ $$ney Not Art. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Suohpanterror: Kannustamme saamelaisia kansalaistottelemattomuuteen" [Suohpanterror: We encourage civil disobedience for the Sámi]. Kaleva (in Finnish). Oulu, Finland. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  24. ^ Näkkäläjärvi, Pirita (15 September 2014). "Suohpanterror tukee Utsjoen kaivosvastaista liiketta katutaidenäyttelyllä" [Suohpanterror supports the anti-mining movement in Utsjoki with a street art exhibition]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  25. ^ Paltto, Aslak; Näkkäläjärvi, Pirita (8 October 2015). "Suohpanterror gorgŋon Mannerheim-bácci ala Helssegis" [Suohpanterror scales Mannerheim monument in Helsinki]. Yle (in Northern Sami). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  26. ^ "SKP:n vapputunnus on "Alas porvarihallitus!" — "Borgárráđđehus vulos!"" [SKP's logo "Alas porvarihallitus!" — "Borgárráđđehus vulos!"]. Tiedonantaja (in Finnish). 14 April 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  27. ^ Suoninen, Inger-Elle; Alajärvi, Martta (27 October 2016). "Postikortissa sillasta roikkuvat hirtetyt saamelaiset – "Toimitko saamelaiskulttuurin pyövelinä?"" [In the postcard, the hanged Sámi are hanging from the bridge — "Do you act as a hangman of Sámi culture?"] (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  28. ^ Tuominen, Matti (27 October 2016). "Saamelaistaitelijoilta raju kannanotto kalastussopimukseen – kuvassa hirtettyjä saamelaisia" [A harsh statement from Sámi artists about the fisheries agreement — the picture shows hanged Sámi]. Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  29. ^ Lakkala, Aletta (8 September 2018). "Punaisiin pukeutuneet ihmisjoukot vetävät Ylä-Lappiin rajoja estääkseen Jäämeren radan tulon" [Crowds dressed in red draw borders in Upper Lapland to prevent the Arctic Ocean railway from entering]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  30. ^ a b "Kritiikin Kannukset -palkinto Suohpanterrorille" [Kritiikin Kannukset Award for Suohpanterrordate=28 April 2016]. Taiteilija (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  31. ^ Alajärvi, Martta (28 April 2016). "Kritiikin Kannukset -palkinto saamelaiselle taiteilijaryhmä Suohpanterrorille" [Kritiikin Kannukset Award for the Sámi artist group Suohpanterror]. Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 September 2021.

External links[edit]

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