London: Somerset House opens a Sámi art exhibition
· BehindLines newsroom
Somerset House in London has been hosting "Through Our Eyes" since November 6, 2026, presented as the first group exhibition in the United Kingdom devoted to Sámi art and culture. It remains open until February 7, 2027, according to the arts centre and the London website Ian Visits.
One people, many art forms
The Sámi are the only recognised Indigenous people in Europe, with a territory, Sápmi, that covers regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, Somerset House explains. The exhibition occupies five rooms and brings together artists who work in sculpture, installation, photography, video, design and performance. The sources differ on their number: 19 according to Somerset House's press page; Ian Visits speaks of 18 artists working today.
Among the historical figures cited by Somerset House are Iver Jåks, Hans Ragnar Mathisen, Britta Marakatt-Labba and Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. On the contemporary side, the centre mentions in particular Marja Helander, Anders Sunna and Carola Grahn. According to Somerset House, Outi Pieski presents a new sculptural commission; Ian Visits describes it as made of hundreds of traditional shawl tassels. The same site points to a work by Tomas Colbengtson, who uses graffiti on a road sign to reassert the true name of the Sámi homeland.
Rights, climate and craft
According to Somerset House, the works address Indigenous rights, the revival of the traditional craft known as duodji, climate and the protection of land. Ian Visits notes that ways of life based on nature and reindeer herding are under threat, while stressing the humour, creativity and hope found in the works. The curator Matti Aikio, a Sámi artist, speaks of a balance between the political and the poetic, according to the arts centre. He devised the exhibition with Cliff Lauson, Somerset House's director of exhibitions.
According to Ian Visits, admission is free, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Somerset House on the Strand. Somerset House specifies that the Sámi flag will fly from the top of the building's dome during the exhibition. The programme includes a relaxed session with brighter lighting and lower sound on January 7, then a day devoted to the Sámi national day on February 6, 2027, with workshops and screenings. Ian Visits advises checking the information with the venue before making the trip.
What this changes
Somerset House presents the exhibition as a first in the United Kingdom. The centre announces that it will then travel to the Kunstsilo in Kristiansand, Norway, in spring 2027.