Photographer: Lori Fredrickson
Thursday, 13 April, Arctic Highways opened at Scandinavia House, in New York. The reception began with a Jojk performance by Lars Henrik Blind, followed by an artist panel with Tomas Colbengston, Britta Marakatt-Labba, and Sonya Kelliher Combs, moderated by Scandinavia House’s manager of exhibitions and community programmes, Emily Stoddart. To continue the opening celebrations, on Saturday, April 15, Greenlandic dancer Elisabeth Heilman Blind performed her Maskdance with a surprise visit from acclaimed Kalaaleq performance artist Lakkuluk. Following the performance there was a screening of the film about Britta Marakatt-Labba, titled, Historjá – Stitches for Sapmi, directed by Thomas Jackson. A conversation between Marakatt-Labba, Elisabeth Heilmann Blind, Thomas Jackson, and Tomas Colbengston accompanied the film.
The opening weekend celebration coincided with the Indigenous People’s Forum at the UN, a yearly gathering of indigenous leaders from around the world. The following week in partnership with the exhibition, Scandinavia House presented Climate Action – Future Changes, exploring the Arctic Indigenous peoples’ fight against climate change through films and media, co-hosted by the Arctic Indigenous Film Fund (AIFF). Welcoming remarks were provided by Dariio Mejia Montalvo (Chair of the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues), Aslak Holmberg (President, Saami Council), and Petteri Vuorimäki (Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland). The discussion was followed by a screening of the documentary short Salmon Reflection (dir. Anna Hoover, Alaska, 2022), and a reception, and the galleries were open for viewing. The exhibition will run at Scandinavia House until 22 July 2023.
VISIT THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION HERE →
SCANDINAVIA HOUSE, 58 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10016
WEB: www.scandinaviahouse.org
Swedish 
English