Lada Suomenrinne to Artist Residency at Pikene på Broen

We are pleased to announce that artist Lada Suomenrinne has been invited to participate in the Artist-in-Residence (AiR) program hosted by the curator collective Pikene på Broen in Kirkenes.

Organised in collaboration with the Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute, the opportunity includes a residency period in October 2024 and an art project that will take place at the international art festival Barents Spektakel in February 2025.

Lada Suomenrinne (b. 1995) is Sámi visual artist with roots in Northern Russia. Their work is founded in belonging and the body-land trauma they explore in the imaginary landscapes. Their objective is to create a dialogue with the seen and unseen other living beings and ancestors. Suomenrinne is fascinated by the borderland and its unseen Sámi lakes, through which they explore the utopian landscapes of potential alternative worlds. Together with the land, they seek a safe place as an Indigenous person at the end of the world.

Suomenrinne holds a master’s degree in photography from Aalto University and their works have been exhibited internationally, including group exhibitions Even Better than a Real Thing – Whitney Biennale (2024), Gálgat mohkiid, duogŋat gokčasiid – Kunstnerforbundet (2024), Earthworks – Bergen Kunsthall (2024), Søsterskap – Les Rencontres d’Arles (2023), and Landscapes of Belonging – Kindl Berlin (2022). Their works are also included in prestigious collections such as those of the Finnish Museum of Photography and the Finnish State Art Commission.

Barents Spektakel, where Suomenrinne’s art project will take place, aims to raise and discuss current issues related to the north and the Barents region. Organised by the curator collective Pikene Broen, the festival hosts exhibitions, performances, debates, and collaborative projects.

The collaboration is a part of the pARTir initiative funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. PARTir is a collaborative initiative of the Finnish cultural and academic institutes aimed at promoting sustainable international mobility during the years 2024–2025.

Stay tuned for more information!