
While we wait for reconciliation
The installation While we wait for reconciliation is a reaction to Norway's truth and reconciliation process that seemingly has stopped. Reconciliation is supposed to be a process between two or more parties, but instead the fur-clad installation offers a comforting and secluded room where individuals can reflect and begin reconciling with their own pain and experiences.
Fur is the central material and gives associations to warmth, femininity, luxury and mothering, sometimes problematic when it comes to animal welfare, at the same time as hunting and reindeer husbandry being among the Sámi's primary livelihoods. Fur trading has been important for the Sámi for over a thousand years, and the use of fur and skins are essential for the existence of all Indigenous peoples in the Arctic.
Artist Susanne Hætta made the work for the 10th anniversary of Dáiddadállu, and for Riddu Riđđu she is transforming the exterior of While we wait for reconciliation to reinforce the basic idea that you yourself also must reconcile with the experiences the state's norwegianization politics has inflicted on you.
Supported by: Dáiddadállu, The Bergesen Foundation and Samiske Kunstneres og Forfatteres Vederlagsfond.