Áilo-Máhtte-Hánsa – From Sápmi to the World 

In celebration of Riddu Riđđu’s 35th anniversary, we wish to dedicate this year’s festival exhibition to one of our most important artists, Áilo-Máhtte-Hánsa (also known as Hans Ragnar Mathisen and Keviselie). Since the late 1960s, he has created a rich and distinctive body of work deeply rooted in Sámi history and ways of life. 

This exhibition opens doors to both the familiar and the hidden. A rarely shown yet significant work — the play Bjørnefesten (1969) — is finally brought into the light. At the same time, visitors are offered a glimpse into works still in progress, including ongoing projects such as maps of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) and the Kåfjord map itself. 

Many will also recognise powerful visual expressions that have become enduring symbols: the ČSV logo (1974) and the Sábmi map (1975). These are works that not only tell stories, but have also helped shape them. 

The title points beyond Sápmi and out into the world. Since the 1970s, it has been important for Áilo-Máhtte-Hánsa to engage in dialogue with Indigenous peoples across borders, languages, and continents. 

Welcome to an exhibition honouring one of our own. 

The exhibition is curated by Siri Mari Vitalis Larsen and Leif Magne Tangen. 

This exhibition is supported by KORO, the Bergesen Foundation, and the Arts Council Norway. 

About Áilo-Máhtte-Hánsa: 

Áilo-Máhtte-Hánsa (Keviselie, Hans Ragnar Mathisen) is a Sámi multidisciplinary artist who, over more than 50 years, has developed a distinctive body of work rooted in Sámi reality. He is especially known for his artistic maps of Sápmi, where Sámi place names and perspectives are highlighted as both aesthetic and political expressions. 

Mathisen works across multiple media, from painting and printmaking to photography and bookbinding, and has also played a key role in preserving and further developing the symbolism associated with the Sámi shaman drum. In the 1970s, he was one of the initiators of the Masi Group, which marked a new direction in Sámi contemporary art. 

Áilo-Máhtte-Hánsa was educated at the National College of Art and Design and the National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo. He has received numerous awards, most recently in 2024, when he was awarded the Norwegian Arts Council’s Honorary Award.