LONDON.- Tate Modern today unveils a monumental new sculptural installation by Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara. Sara makes sculptures and installations from materials which surround and sustain her community in Sápmi, the territory of the Indigenous Sámi people spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. For her first major work in the UK, the artist draws on her lived experience as member of a reindeer herding family to highlight ecological issues impacting Sámi life. Combining hides and bones derived from traditional reindeer herding practices with wood, industrial materials, sound and scent, Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil is an immersive work honouring the reciprocal relationship between the Sámi people, the reindeer, and the land. Responding to the history of Tate Modern’s site as a former oil and coal power station, Sara invites visitors to embrace an alternative vision of power as a sacred life force, rooted in Earth’s interconnected systems and guided by the principles of Indigenous science. Her installation marks the 10th annual Hyundai Commission, made possible by the significant partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor.
A multi-layered sculpture comprising reindeer hides tightly bound by electrical power cables stretches the full 28 metre height of the Turbine Hall. Created as a monument to honour the reindeer and acknowledge lives lost due to climate change, the title Goavve- refers to a worsening environmental condition caused by extreme temperature fluctuations, in which rain and melted snow freeze into layers of ice on the land’s surface, preventing animals from accessing food sources below. The cables represent the continued extraction of resources from Sápmi through mining and energy developments, leading to the destruction of ecosystems, the displacement of animals and people, and the erosion of cultural practices. The hides symbolise the enduring power that flows from ancestral traditions, embodying the strength, knowledge and spiritual connections passed down through generations. Goavve- serves as a powerful reminder of the interdependence of all living beings and the importance of fostering balance in our shared world.
At the east end of the Turbine Hall, visitors can move through a maze-like structure based on the anatomy of the reindeer nose, an organ which can heat air by 80°C in under a second. Titled -Geabbil, visitors are invited to attune themselves to the energy and ancestral knowledge that courses through the winding passages. The walls of the installation are constructed from wooden poles carved with reindeer earmarks, distinct patterns that are passed down by generations of Sámi people to distinguish their herds and indicate their lifelong commitment to safeguarding the animals and their environment. As part of the traditional Sámi practice of duodji, hides and bones are integrated into the walls, giving new life to parts of the reindeer not used for food or clothing. This ensures that nothing is wasted, serving as a gesture of gratitude and respect to the reindeer.
Sara’s materials are infused with scent, a significant aspect of non-verbal communication between lifeforms. These range from the smell of ‘fear’ released by the reindeer in moments of stress or danger as a warning to the herd, to the smell of ‘hope’ carried by native plants in Sápmi such as lichen and shoegrass, evoking possibility and renewal. A soundscape fills the Turbine Hall, comprised of environmental recordings from the Sápmi landscape and the Sámi musical practice, joik, alongside oral knowledge shared by elders from Sara’s community. Sámi science encompasses practices and knowledge systems, developed through direct experience and interaction with the land, waters, and ecosystems in Sápmi. Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil offers a space to consider the possibilities offered by Sámi science and worldviews in the growing ecological crisis, deepening our connection to and protection of the living world for future generations.
