Britta Marakatt-Labba, 2022 Bildupphovsrätt 2025

Duodji through generations

Conversation

13.9 2025

Stockholm

What is duodji and what role does it play in Britta Marakatt-Labba’s art? Meet three generations of duodji practitioners, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Gunvor Guttorm and Berit Kristine Andersen Guvsám, in a conversation about knowledge, materials and tradition.

DUODJI THROUGH GENERATIONS

Conversation

Date

Saturday 13 September 2025

Time

14-15.30

Language

Swedish and Norwegian

Place

Auditorium, floor 2

Price

Free admission, pre-registration required

Contact: Alexander Kateb, Moderna Museet

Delve into duodji, the visual and aesthetic tradition from Sápmi in which Britta Marakatt-Labba’s art is strongly rooted. Duodji is based on knowledge passed down between generations, with profound respect for both the material and the values that are not always visible but felt in the creation.

The conversation is held in connection with the exhibition “Where Each Stitch Breathes” and is led by duodji expert Gunvor Guttorm. The conversation features artist Britta Marakatt-Labba and duojár Berit Kristine Andersen Guvsám.

Gunvor Guttorm

Gunvor Guttorm (b. 1958) is a professor of duodji at Sámi allaskuvla/Sami University of Applied Sciences in Guovdageaidnu/Kautokeino, Norway. She was also the principal of the school from 2015–2019. Her research focuses on duodji from a contemporary and indigenous perspective, and examines its role and significance for Sámi societies.

Since the 1990s, Guttorm has pushed for higher education in duodji, based on the Sámi worldview, philosophy and language. Together with colleagues, she has developed bachelor’s and master’s programs in duodji, which are the only ones of their kind in Sápmi.

Gunvor Guttorm was co-curator of the exhibition “Arctic Highways” 2023 together with Dan Jåma, Tomas Colbengtson and Britta Marakatt-Labba. The exhibition is a travelling exhibition of indigenous art from Sápmi, Canada and Alaska, where Guttorm is also one of the artists. She has participated in several exhibitions, both in Sweden and internationally, including the Luleå Biennial 2022 and 2024, and the Sámi Triennála/Sápmi Triennale 2024–2026.

Gunvor Guttorm. Photo: John Erling Utsi.

Britta Marakatt-Labba

Britta Marakatt-Labba was born in 1951 in Idivuoma on the Swedish side of Sápmi and currently lives and works in Övre Soppero in Kiruna municipality. After studying at Sunderby Folk High School outside Luleå and the School of Design and Crafts (HDK) in Gothenburg, Marakatt-Labba returned to her home region in the late 1970s.

Britta Marakatt-Labba’s art has been in public and regional collections in the Nordic countries since the 1980s. Her major international breakthrough came in 2017 at Documenta 14 in Kassel, Germany. Since then, her art has attracted growing international interest and is exhibited around the world.

The exhibition “Britta Marakatt-Labba – Where Each Stitch Breathes/Juohke säkkaldat vuoiğá” is on shown at Moderna Museet in Stockholm until November 9, 2025.

Britta Marakatt Labba. Photo: My Matson/Moderna Museet

Berit Kristine Andersen Guvsám

Berit Kristine Andersen Guvsám (b. 1986) grew up in Steinkjer, but has connections to Tysfjord in the Lule Sámi area. She is a duojár and holds a master’s degree in duodji from Sámi allaskuvla/Sami University of Applied Sciences.

Within the duodji field, she works with soft materials such as textiles and leather. Traditional duodji from the Lule Sámi area is the starting point for her practice. She has worked extensively with processing materials, such as tanning leather and fur and weaving textiles. For her, collecting and processing material is a continuous process throughout the year and an important part of her duodji practice.

In recent years, Guvsám has participated in exhibitions at the Luleå Biennial, the Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš in Karasjok, the Silvermuseet in Arjeplog, Ájtte in Jokkmokk, the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal and the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.