Art and Cultural Heritage
From Lines

As an artist, Marije Jenssen feels deeply influence by her Sámi-heritage. In this contribution, she shows her pieces and explains, how her enthusiasm for Arctic landscapes brought her into the arts.
 

From my upbringing on a small family farm in Sápmi, I have always had a strong bond with the Arctic nature, animals and small scale agricultural life. For generations, my family lived there. Growing up fairly isolated and in close contact with the surrounding wilderness, natural landscapes are a source of comfort and inspiration that I wish to convey and express through my art. There lies so much – lives and stories, moods and sounds – hidden in the places where I would and still walk by to take in the peace and immense space they offer, different with every season. All these paths walked in well-known places are never exactly the same. As we and the environment around us change, so too do the comfort and safety of our memories. Grappling with how to handle change is a very human condition.

I started working with lines in different media to, in some way, map out the gradual changes in and around the places I called myself, and home. Changes in the climate, in my family ties and in the future prospects of the lifestyle I knew as a child. This process, which started with watercolour paintings and lithographic prints, is marked by feelings of aimlessness and nostalgia. To me, they represent a dark tunnel that has to be walked by everyone as they experience change, but also light and hope.

These lines emerged, for me, on the other end as a thread, spun from the wool of my family’s sheep, dyed with local Arctic plants and woven into installations inspired by traditional Sámi weaves. A central part of my current work is using products from my home and childhood heritage, both Sámi and Norwegian. Being able to do this is a gift given by the land, the animals, my ancestors and my family that keep our farms and values running. It is also a responsibility: the knowledge and labour that keeps it alive must be nurtured. This work is a tribute to the possibilities and creative joy our land and spirits can offer.