Young artist of the year is Márjá Karlsen

Sea Sámi Márjá Karlsen is 23 years old and grew up in Tromsø. She was not brought up in a Sámi culture but has taken it back with duodji being her most important tool. She says that duodji allows her to physically hold on to what has been taken from her, and that this is the driving force in her work.

“I am incredibly grateful to be named Young Artist of the Year. It gives me opportunities to forge stronger ties with Sápmi. I am really looking forward to see what this year will bring! ” says the recently appointed Young Artist of the Year, Márjá Karlsen.

Karlsen is in her final year at the Oslo Academy of the Arts (KHiO), where she is finishing a bachelor's degree in Medium and materials-based art. She is a student at the textile department and has for the past two years focused on weaving. She has immersed herself in weaving branches and calico flour. She has built her own fabric for branch weaving and spun her own yarn for both warping and weft. This is a Sámi tradition that is still strong in Kåfjord. To Riddu Riđđu she brings with her the project “Ávnnas Muitá”, which means the material remembers. She is excited to invite Riddu's audience to stamp vadmel with her at the festival grounds.

“When you practice duodji, you work with stories. It's your own and your family's story. These are the stories of our ancestors, and these are the stories of our descendants. The small details such as mosquitoes that bite while weaving outdoors can be just as important as the big stories about colonialism. ” says Márjá Karlsen.

The jury consisted of Dine Fenger Lynge, Piera Heaika Muotka, Eva Fjellheim, Stian Pedersen and Sandra Márjá West. The jury was impressed by the high level of applicants for Young Artist of the Year, and is inspired by the great creativity that exists among young Sámi artists.

Festival director Sandra Márjá West is proud to be able to nominate Márjá Karlsen as Young Artist of the Year: “For the first time, we have a duojár as Young Artist of the Year. Márjá Karlsen is an exciting artist who emphasizes storytelling and the collective behind a craft. She has acquired knowledge both from the Oslo Academy of the Arts and from Sea Sámi tradition bearers. ”

Riddu Riđđu's Young Artist of the Year is an initiative that each year appoints a young Sámi artist to present their art through Riddu Riđđu's festival program and other events where Riddu Riđđu is a co-organizer. In addition to receiving a scholarship of 25,000 NOK, Riddu's Young Artist of the Year receives a sponsored stay at Lásságámmi, the artist residence of multi-artist Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. The Young Artist of the Year/Riddu Sessions is supported by Talent Norge, Samfunnsløftet and the Sámi Parliament in Norway.