Suohpanterror Explained

Suohpanterror
Formation:2012
Type:Activist artist group
Headquarters:Finland
Awards: (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

The group began its work in 2012,[3] [4] using Facebook as a distribution platform. Beyond social media, Suohpanterror's art has been exhibited at in Umeå, Sweden; 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; Saw/Gallery Nordic Lab in Ottawa;[8] and the 2020 Biennale of Sydney in Australia.[9] Suohpanterror was included in the Finnish: SAAMELAISTA nykytaidetta = Northern Sami: 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.[10]

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.[11]

The group's name, "Suohpanterror," comes from Northern Sami: suohpan, the Northern Sámi language word for the lasso used to catch reindeer, plus the English word terror to mean "fear of the lasso."[12] It refers in an ironic way to hostility towards Sámi asserting their identity and rights, including their sometimes being labeled terrorists.[13]

Suohpanterror is known for its propaganda posters that draw from pop art, advertising, and popular culture.[14] [15] The group's primary medium is digital art,[16] employing détournement techniques, culture jamming, and political satire.[17] 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 .

During the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election, in response to long-delayed efforts to reform the Finnish, Suohpanterror produced a number of posters urging people to vote for Sámi candidates.[18]

"Northern Sami: Suohpangiehta|italic=no"

One of Suohpanterror's most widely reproduced images is "Northern Sami: Suohpangiehta|italic=no," its 2013 reenvisioning of J. Howard Miller's "We Can Do It!" poster, replacing Rosie the Riveter's factory garb with a Northern Sami: gátki, Northern Sami: liidni, and Northern Sami: gahpir (traditional Sámi clothing). Above her is the phrase "Northern Sami: suohpangiehta," which translates literally from Northern Sámi as 'lasso hand' and refers to someone particularly skilled in using a lasso.[19] The image has been described as speaking to Sámi feminism, as well as appropriating notions of American power and military might. Suohpanterror spokesperson Jenni Laiti describes the image as saying to Sámi "This is who we are and we can do it."[20]

Message

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.[21] 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. Suohpanterror says it encourages civil disobedience, but does not condone violence.[22]

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.[23] In 2015, Suohpanterror worked with Greenpeace and 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.[24] 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 "Finnish: Alas porvarihallitus|italics=no! — Northern Sami: Borgárráđđehus vulos|italics=no!" ('Down with the bourgeois government!').[25] The same year, the group send postcards depicting hanged Sámi to the Parliament of Finland to protest the Teno Fisheries Agreement.[26] [27] In 2018, Suohpanterror partnered with Greenpeace and Sámi youth organization to protest plans for the Arctic Ocean Railway.[28]

Awards

Suohpanterror was awarded the 2016 Award. According to the jury, Suohpanterror was recognized for "using the language of art in a striking and artistic way,"[29] as well as for combining icons from art history and popular culture with documentary themes.[30] Suohpanterror is the first group of anonymous artists to receive a Kritiikin Kannukset Award.

Exhibitions

A partial list of solo and group exhibitions featuring Suohpanterror

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Samiskt motstånd på Littfest. Sámi Resistance at Littfest. sv. Freja. Lantto Heldebro. 13 March 2014. Kulurnytt I P1. Sverige Radio. 2021-09-29.
  2. Web site: Exhibition: Toolkit for Revolution. 2018. Trinity Square Video/. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2021-09-30.
  3. News: Suohpanterror maalaa saamelaista realismia. fi. Suohpanterror paints Sámi realism. Jouni. Tikkanen. 27 March 2015. Suomen Luonto. 2021-09-29.
  4. News: Suohpanterror ampuu tahallaan yli. fi. Suohpanterror Deliberately Overshoots. Siskotuulikki. Toijonen. 15 May 2016. Kansan Uutiset. Helsinki, Finland. 2021-09-29.
  5. News: Pohjoisen eturintama. fi. The Northern Front. Mikko-Pekka. Heikkinen. 10 March 2013. Helsingin Sanomat. Helsinki, Finland. subscription. 2021-09-29.
  6. News: 'Suohpanterror onnistuu siirtämään saamelaisten kohtaaman vääryyden tämän päivän mediakuvastoon'. fi. 'Suohpanterror manages to transfer the injustice faced by the Sámi to today's media catalog'. Suoninen. Inger-Elle. 17 October 2013. Yle. 2021-09-29.
  7. News: Maailma kylässä sahkan dálkkádat – Sámediggi, Suohpanterror ja City-Sámit maid fárus. se. World Village Festival breathes climate — the Finnish Sámi Parliament, Suohpanterror, and City-Sámit also included. Aikio. Áile. 23 May 2014. Yle. 2021-09-29.
  8. News: Spring in Ottawa spells nature on the arts scene. Simpson. Peter. Spring 2020. Diplomat and Ineternational Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 80. 2021-09-30.
  9. Web site: Suohpanterror. 22nd Biennale of Sydney (2020). 2021-09-29.
  10. Web site: SAAMELAISTA nykytaidetta = Dálá SÁMI dáidda = SÁMI Contemporary. Kulttuuritalo Korundi. Rovaniemi. fi. 2021-09-29.
  11. News: Aktivisti: Saamelaisuutta käytetään surutta Lapin markkinoinnissa eikä meiltä kysytä mitään. fi. Activist: Sámi are sadly used in marketing Lapland, but we are not asked anything. Jonni. Aromaa. 5 February 2017. Yle. 2021-09-29.
  12. News: fr. Le cri de Suohpanterror. The Cry of Suohpanterror. Caron. Grégoire. 14 December 2017. ArtsHebdoMédias. Deauville, France. 2021-09-30.
  13. Indigenous Culture Jamming: Suohpanterro and the articulation of Sami political community. Junka-Aikio. Laura. 2018. Journal of Aesthetics & Culture. 10. 4. 10.1080/20004214.2017.1379849. 149564662. free.
  14. News: Taiteilijaryhmä Suohpanterror nostaa vääryydet esiin. fi. The Artists Group Suohpanterror Highlights Injustice. Säilynoja. Juhana. 9 December 2014. Elävä Arkisto. Yle. 2021-09-29.
  15. Web site: Arktinen terrori. fi. Arctic Terror. Tamminen. Jari. April 2014. fifi.voima.fi. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140809155623/http://fifi.voima.fi/voima-artikkeli/2014/numero-4/arktinen-terrori. 2014-08-09.
  16. News: Suohpanterror on nuorten saamelaisten vastaisku. fi. Suohpanterror is a counterattack by the young Sámi. Mikko-Pekka. Heikkinen. 30 October 2016. Helsingin Sanomat. Helsinki, Finland. subscription. 2021-09-29.
  17. Cassandra Lydia. Taylerson. Activism Through Art: The Indigenous Narratives of Suohpanterror. M.A.. Tampere University. Tampere, Finland. 2019. 2021-09-30.
  18. News: Sápmelaččat leat šaddan eanet aktiivvalažžan dáin riikabeaiválggain, árvala politihka professor . se . Sámi have become more active with the national election, suggests professor of politics . Paltto . Anni-Saara . 2023-03-29 . YLE . 2023-06-29.
  19. Sandström. Moa. Bilden av Motstånd. The Picture of Resistance. Dekoloniseringskonst: Artivism i 2010-talets Sápmi. Decolonization Art: Artivism in 2010s Sápmi. 2020. PhD. Umeå Universitet. Umeå, Sweden. 978-91-7855-335-8. sv. 153.
  20. Web site: Debatty. Régine. Suohpanterror. Propaganda posters from Sápmi. We Mak$ $$ney Not Art. 7 April 2015. 2021-10-07.
  21. Web site: What is the role of activism and civil disobedience in creating sustainability and equality?. Everday Experiments. 2019. Aikio. Áile. 2021-09-30.
  22. News: Suohpanterror: Kannustamme saamelaisia kansalaistottelemattomuuteen. fi. Suohpanterror: We encourage civil disobedience for the Sámi. 1 October 2016. . Kaleva. Oulu, Finland. 2021-09-29.
  23. News: Suohpanterror tukee Utsjoen kaivosvastaista liiketta katutaidenäyttelyllä. fi. Suohpanterror supports the anti-mining movement in Utsjoki with a street art exhibition. Näkkäläjärvi. Pirita. 15 September 2014. Yle. 2021-09-29.
  24. News: Suohpanterror gorgŋon Mannerheim-bácci ala Helssegis. se. Suohpanterror scales Mannerheim monument in Helsinki. 8 October 2015. Paltto. Aslak. Näkkäläjärvi. Pirita. Yle. 2021-09-29.
  25. Web site: SKP:n vapputunnus on "Alas porvarihallitus!" — "Borgárráđđehus vulos!". fi. SKP's logo "Alas porvarihallitus!" — "Borgárráđđehus vulos!". 14 April 2016. . Tiedonantaja. 2021-09-29.
  26. News: Postikortissa sillasta roikkuvat hirtetyt saamelaiset – "Toimitko saamelaiskulttuurin pyövelinä?". fi. In the postcard, the hanged Sámi are hanging from the bridge — "Do you act as a hangman of Sámi culture?". Suoninen. Inger-Elle. Alajärvi. Martta. 27 October 2016. 2021-09-29.
  27. News: Saamelaistaitelijoilta raju kannanotto kalastussopimukseen – kuvassa hirtettyjä saamelaisia. fi. A harsh statement from Sámi artists about the fisheries agreement — the picture shows hanged Sámi. 27 October 2016. Matti. Tuominen. Maaseudun Tulevaisuus. Helsinki, Finland. 2021-09-29.
  28. News: Punaisiin pukeutuneet ihmisjoukot vetävät Ylä-Lappiin rajoja estääkseen Jäämeren radan tulon. fi. Crowds dressed in red draw borders in Upper Lapland to prevent the Arctic Ocean railway from entering. Lakkala. Aletta. 8 September 2018. Yle. 2021-09-30.
  29. News: Kritiikin Kannukset -palkinto Suohpanterrorille. fi. Kritiikin Kannukset Award for Suohpanterrordate=28 April 2016. . Taiteilija. 2021-09-29.
  30. News: Kritiikin Kannukset -palkinto saamelaiselle taiteilijaryhmä Suohpanterrorille. fi. Kritiikin Kannukset Award for the Sámi artist group Suohpanterror. Alajärvi. Martta. 28 April 2016. Yle. 2021-09-29.

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