Máret Ánne Sara (born 1983) is a Sámi- Norwegian artist and author. Her work explores political and ecological issues affecting the Sámi and Indigenous communities of northern Norway.

Career

Sara's art focuses on Sámi identity and livelihood, specifically as it relates to political and ecological issues as well as

reindeer herding Reindeer herding is when reindeer are herded by people in a limited area. Currently, reindeer are the only semi-domesticated animal which naturally belong to the North. Reindeer herding is conducted in nine countries: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russ ...

. For example, ''Spirals of the Pile'' (2018) utilizes reindeer jaws and ''Gielstuvvon'' (2018) uses lassos. She made international headlines in 2016 with ''Pile o’ Sápmi Supreme'', an site-specific installation of containing a pile of 200 bullet-pierced reindeer skulls that had been frozen and were bloodstained. A Norwegian flag was then placed atop. The piece was displayed outside the Norwegian Parliament in defiance of government culling policies that many believed would lead to the loss of indigenous culture and way of life. A version of the work was later included in documenta 14 in 2017. Sara's work was shown at the Sámi Pavilion during the 59th International Art Exhibition of the 2022 Venice Biennial. Included pieces were ''Gutted – Gávogálši'' (2022) which uses reindeer stomachs, ''Ale suova sielu sáiget'' (2022), which uses cured reindeer calves and tundra plants, and ''Du-ššan-ahttanu-ššan'', which uses reindeer sinew. ''Gutted – Gávogálši'' was bought by the National Museum of Norway later that year. Also in 2022 ''Pile O’Sapmi'' was installed in the vestibule of the newly opened National Museum in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. Additionally, Sara was part of the Arctic/Amazon show at the Power Plant gallery in

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. It was announced in March 2025 that Sara was selected as the next artist for the Hyundai Commission; Tate Modern's Turbine Hall will be transformed to exhibit Sara's artwork from October 2025 to April 2026. In 2014, Sara founded Dáiddadállu, a multimedia art organization and movement that seeks to bring artists together to explore Sámi culture and encourage a stronger art presence in Sápmi.

Art

Sara has created a variety of artistic works, including collages, drawings, and mixed pieces. She is most famous for her sculptures, which often depict or utilize reindeer and reindeer body parts such as skulls. The most well-known example of such a work was the ''Pile o’Sápmi'' (2016) outside the Indre Finnmark District Court, and later the Norwegian Parliament, protesting Norway’s reindeer policies. Such works represent the importance of reindeer to the Sámi culture and way of life, and they protest centuries of repressive and assimilatory efforts against the Sámi people. Through her art pieces, Sara reasserts Sámi values and identity in addition to speaking out on ecological devastation. In addition to her visual artworks, Sara has also written novels in the Sámi language. One such book, ''Ilmmiid gaskkas'', is a young adult novel featuring Sámi characters and mythology. Like Sara’s visual works, her novels explore Sámi identity and culture in modern times.

Works

* ''Ilmmiid gaskkas'' (''Between Worlds''), young adult fantasy novel, Kautokeino, Norway: DAT, 2013 * ''Doaresbealde doali'', young adult fantasy novel, Kautokeino, Norway: DAT, 2014

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions:

* 2006: Sámi Siida Museum; Enare, Finland * 2016: ''Pile o’ Sápmi''; Tana Bru * 2025: Hyundai Commission; Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, London, United Kingdom

Group Exhibitions:

* 2017: ''documenta 14''; Kassel, Germany * 2022: ''Sámi Pavilion'', 59th International Art Exhibition; Venice, Italy

Awards

She was nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize in 2014 for her Sámi-language young adult fantasy novel ''Ilmmiid gaskkas'' (''Between Worlds'').

Personal life

Sara was born in the

Hammerfest Municipality Hammerfest (; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality being the Hammerfest (town), town of Hammerfest which is considered the List of no ...

, growing up in Finnmark county in a

family that had its summer pasture on Kvaløya. She received her arts education from Arts University Bournemouth in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. She lives and works in

Kautokeino Municipality Kautokeino (; ; ; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Kautokeino (village), village of Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino. Other villag ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sara, Maret Anne Norwegian Sámi-language writers Norwegian women writers Norwegian artists Norwegian writers of young adult literature 1983 births Norwegian Sámi writers People from Hammerfest People from Kautokeino Living people Alumni of Arts University Bournemouth Sámi women writers