Riddu Sessions 2025: I’m a Sámi Boy 

Welcome to the opening of the art exhibition I'm a Sámi Boy at 18:00! 

This exhibition is an interdisciplinary art project that explores Sámi masculinity through duodji (Sámi handicraft), queer art, performance, and film. 

I'm a Sámi Boy features works by several artists, with duojár and visual artist Kai Mikkel Balto as the lead artist. Balto was named Young Artist of the Year at Riddu Riđđu 2024 and was therefore given the opportunity to curate this year’s exhibition. 

I'm a Sámi Boy invites young Sámi artists to reflect on macho culture and gender roles in Sápmi. This is not just an exhibition, but an open invitation to a conversation about gender, identity, and power in Sápmi. 

Riddu Sessions 2025: 

In 2024, Kai Mikkel Balto was named Young Artist of the Year by Riddu Riđđu Festivála and has since participated in Riddu Sessions, the festival's own program for emerging Sámi artists. 

This year’s Riddu Sessions takes the form of an art exhibition titled I'm a Sámi Boy by Kai Mikkel Balto, which also serves as the official festival exhibition at Riddu Riđđu Festivála 2025. 

Through Riddu Sessions, the audience is invited to explore Balto’s wide-ranging work in both duodji (Sámi handicraft) and visual art. 

Biography: 

Kai Mikkel Balto (25) is a duojár and visual artist from Tromsø, with a strong commitment to artistic expression with queer themes. He draws inspiration from Sámi design, which has fueled his growing interest in duodji (Sámi handicraft). Balto holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Art and Animation from Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and recently completed a year at Samernas Utbildningscentrum, where he studied garraduodji (Sámi craft). He works at the intersection of visual art and duodji to explore and develop his artistic practice. 

Contributors to I’m a Sámi Boy: 

• Kai Mikkel Balto 

• Agnes Konst Matheussen 

• Mihkkal Hætta 

• Ánde Somby 

• niilas helander 

• Anna-Stina Svakko 

• Ritni Ráste Pieski 

• Nils-Aslak Valkeapää 

Mentor: Anna-Stina Svakko 

Kurator: Siri Maria Vitalis Larsen

The exhibition is open until 20:00 on the opening day, and can otherwise be viewed Thursday to Saturday from 10:00–18:00, and Sunday from 10:00–14:00. It will remain on display at the Center for Northern Peoples through September 2025.