27.9. — 19.10.2025

Subjects of the Water is a group exhibition by five artists that features four panoramic films. Installed in the space as immersive multichannel works, the films are presented as a 43-minute screening beginning on the hour.

Subjects of the Water is a group exhibition by five artists that features four panoramic films. Installed in the space as immersive multichannel works, the films are presented as a 43-minute screening beginning on the hour. The theme of the exhibition is water and its connection to Sámi nature, mental landscapes, livelihoods, activism, and storytelling.

The traditional Sámi way of life is directly dependent on the vitality of Sámi lands and waters, which today are controlled by non-Sámi nation states. Current threats to Sápmi include mining, wind farm, river damming, and climate change. The works in the exhibition comment on these threats through visual and poetic means. Activism in Sápmi continues!

Half of the films premiered at the 2022 Venice Biennale as part of the official Sámi Pavilion collateral programme. The other half premiered during the opening week of Bodø European Capital of Culture 2024. The screenings were organized by the International Sámi Film Institute (Árran 360°).

The artists now wish to present these films in panoramic format, rarely seen in Finland. In the films, the Arctic nature of Sápmi unfolds in all its beauty and drama. The screening space features a wide semi-circular screen. Sámi artists appearing in the films include writer, musician Niillas Holmberg, *livđe artist Anna Morottaja, and artists, activists Niillas Somby and Mihkkal Hætta. The exhibition also features sculptures by artist Miina Kujala related to the world of the film Áfruvvá, as well as a risku – a Sámi brooch – made from recycled materials by Tiina Arkko (OZ Jewel).

(*Livđe is an Inari Sámi vocal music genre).

Films included in the programme (screenings begin on the hour):
Marja Helander & Liselotte Wajstedt: Mu gieđas – In My Hand, 13 min, 2024
Hans Pieski & Arttu Nieminen: Muohtačalmmit – Snowfall, 9 min, 2022
Marja Helander & Mauri Lähdesmäki: Áfruvvá – Mermaid, 13 min, 2022
Hans Pieski & Arttu Nieminen: Máilmmittkus – At the Shadow of the World, 8 min, 2024

The production of the films was supported by:
Finnish Cultural Foundation, AVEK, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, International Sámi Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, The Fritt Ord Foundation, Sámi Parliament of Norway, Swedish Film Institute, Norwegian Film Institute, Yle, Kone Foundation, Frame, Arctic Film Norway, Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Foundation.

For more information about the exhibition and the films visit: www.muu.fi/muuspace/exhibitons/veden-alaiset