On the morning of September 6th, 2026, the Rievdan project packed its exhibition installing team and the work done in the previous project workshops into a car in Rovaniemi and started the journey towards Inari in Sápmi. Our destination was the Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos, where we were about to install an exhibition celebrating the Rievdan workshops from 2025–2026, which were held under the umbrella theme “Change.” The Sajos building itself is probably best known as the home of the Sámi Parliament, but as a Cultural Centre, it also educates numerous visitor groups and holds exhibitions on its premises.
We stopped on a way in Vuotso, where we met Petra Magga-Vars and Mathis Ole Vars, key persons behind the latest communal project piece, Vuotso village Luovvi. The wooden construction, made in the summer, was now about to travel to the exhibition, along with the newly printed photographs. After uninstalling and repacking the piece in Vuotso, everyone headed to Inari, where we rebuild the piece already same evening, near the Sajos main entrance. For the community artwork Luovvi, the selection of places, people or situations shown in images was a collaboration of individual wishes from people of different age groups. Vuotso villagers and schoolchildren influenced image selection, and Petra helped to realize and gather these wishes and ideas as a series of images from a wide timescale.
After the light September rain watered us and the sun set during the first evening, I started to feel a quite sensitive mood, mostly since not having had any sleep the previous night. I found myself sinking deep into thoughts about the power of images in societal history and how even a single image has affected a whole society or its perception, on any continent. Since the 19th century, photos have illustrated research and science, even with the strangest setups, which have often portrayed situations without any real understanding. Nowadays, we are still facing the very same troubles, though the reason is not so much about mixing up the diorama with the documentary, but rather about AI-generated news, deepfakes, or other misinformation. But when a person chooses for themselves the views they want to share and present, we are onto something that can still work as an empowering move in the middle of the ongoing image streams.
The next day, after the morning meeting, we continued with an intensive installation day. The working group focused on their individual tasks and, because we had a bunch of people, the installation was completed well on schedule. We also had support from the Sajos organization and technical team, who were really helpful and friendly every step of the way during the installation.
The exhibited works were done by workshop participants representing different age groups, from preschoolers to adults, while the biggest participant groups were grammar school students from Vuotso and Karasjok. Vuotso school also organized a joint school trip to the opening event, where their workshop results were now presented.
At the opening ceremony, first opening talks were given by Petra Magga-Vars, Mirja Hiltunen and Korinna Korsström-Magga and the program continued with Elmiinná and Ante Jalvela performing beautiful sound piece combining joik, percussives and singing. The opening guests then started moving from work to work, joining discussions about the project. The schoolchildren who had participated in workshops met their familiar workshop facilitators by the works and shared a moment with the projects done together. At the end of the opening event, before saying warm goodbyes, the Vuotso schoolchildren gathered around the Luovvi for talks held by Petra Magga Vars and Mathis Ole Vars.
In addition to the Rievdan project core members Ante, Korinna and Mirja, the exhibition installing team included a group of Master of Arts students from University of Lapland, who also took part in facilitating the previously held Rievdan workshops.
Thank you for everyone we met in Sajos, thank you for the opening guests and Vuotso and Karasjok school, all pupils, teachers and villagers who participated to the workshops and for the opening event. And special thanks for the nightly northern light show and the mighty Lake Inari, for letting us refresh our minds in its pure and chilly water.
Rievdan-Muutos-Change exhibition was open to public from September 8 to 18, 2026. Project continues with the Rievdan team and their upcoming presentations over the whole project.
On behalf of the Rievdan exhibition crew,
– Johanna