Artist Talk: Britta Marakatt-Labba in Conversation with Cecilia Alemani

Join us for an in-depth conversation between artist Britta Marakatt-Labba and Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, as they discuss Marakatt-Labba’s commission, Urmodern, located on the High Line between Gansevoort and Little West 12th Streets.

Britta Marakatt-Labba is a celebrated artist belonging to the Sámi people, an Indigenous transnational population of Sápmi, a region that stretches across parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. She is renowned for her contemporary artistic style and visual storytelling methods that bridge Sámi culture and the Nordic landscape. Inspired by her heritage, Marakatt-Labba employs vibrant colors and traditional Sámi handicrafts, called duodji, to create intricate embroidery work, using fine wool, silk, and linen on white fabric grounds. Her pieces serve as powerful narratives, addressing issues such as land rights, environmental concerns, and cultural preservation while challenging stereotypes about Indigenous peoples. Through her work, Marakatt-Labba poignantly reflects on Sámi life and their deep connection to the land.

For the High Line, Marakatt-Labba presents Urmodern, which translates to “primordial mother.” Sámi mythology is based on the belief that every stone, plant, and body of water has its own spirit. It teaches that the cosmos and the earth were created and are protected by goddesses, emphasizing the pivotal role of women in Sámi culture. Through this lens, Urmodern serves as a representation of these female deities. The boulder-like base of the work is made of granite, topped with the head of the goddess rendered in bronze. Marakatt-Labba’s contribution to the High Line underscores the importance of environmental stewardship on a global stage, engaging audiences in critical dialogues about Indigenous rights and feminism.

Artist bio

Britta Marakatt-Labba (b. 1951, Idivuoma, Sweden) lives and works in Övre Soppero, Sweden. Marakatt-Labba has held solo exhibitions at institutions including Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden (2025); KIN Museum, Kiruna, Sweden (2024 – 2025); Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway (2024); Nordnorsk kunstmuseum, Tromsø, Norway (2017 – 2018); Konsthallen Hishult, Hishult, Sweden (2018); Norrbottens museum, Luleå, Sweden (2015); and Kramfors konsthall, Kramfors, Sweden (2010). She has participated in major international group exhibitions and biennials, including, The Milk of Dreams, The 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy (2022); Common Thread: Female Perspectives from the Arctic, The Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico (2024); The Lives of Animals, M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium (2024); Arctic Highways, National Nordic Museum, Seattle, Washington (2023); Speaking Back: Decolonizing Nordic Narratives, Kunsthaus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (2023); Arctic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People, Scandinavia House, New York, New York (2023) (travelling); Ask Bjørlo & Britta Marakatt-Labba, OSL Contemporary, Oslo, Norway (2023); Illusions Are Real, Manif d’art 10 – The Quebec City Biennial, Quebec City, Canada (2021); Animalesque: Art Across Species and Beings, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateschead, UK (2019); The 2nd Beijing Media Art Biennale (BMAB), Beijing, China (2018); Documenta 14, Kassel, Germany, and Athens, Greece (2017); and the 12th International Art Triennial of Tapestry, Lodz, Poland (2007); among many others.

Their work is featured in the collections of major institutions around the world, including MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum, Hamburg, Germany; Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, New York; British Museum, London, United Kingdom; Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, London, United Kingdom; Growald Climate Fund, Brookline, Massachusetts; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden; Nasjonalmuseeet, Oslo, Norway; Moderna museet, Stockholm, Sweden; KODE kunstmuseer og komponisthjem, Bergen, Norway; Region Stockholm, Malmö konstmuseum, Malmö, Sweden; Statens konstråd, Röhsska museet, Göteborg, Uppsala konstmuseum, Uppsala, Umeå kommun, Sweden; Nordnorsk kunstmuseum, Tromsø, Norway; KORO – Public Art Agency, Sparebank 1 Nord-Norges kunststiftelse, Tromsø, Norway; Rovaniemi Art Museum, Rovaniemi, Finland; Sámi Parliament, Norway; Lunds konsthall, Lund, Sweden; Museum Anna Nordlander, Skellefteå, Sweden; Västerås konstmuseum, Västerås, Sweden; Luleå kommun, Luleå Tekniska Universitet, Piteå kommun, Region Västernorrland, Region Norrbotten, Kiruna kommun, Region Gävleborg, Sweden; RidduDuottarMuseat, Karašjohka, Norway; and Folkets hus Gällivare, Folkets hus och parker, Ájtte – Svenskt fjäll- och samemuseum, Jokkmokk, Sweden.

What happens if it rains?

In the event of rain, the conversation will be moved indoors to Friends of the High Line’s headquarters at 820 Washington Street.

Accessibility

We encourage all persons with disabilities to attend. To request additional information regarding accessibility or accommodations at a program, please contact [email protected]. Program venues are accessible via wheelchair, and ASL interpretation can be arranged two weeks in advance.

Support

Lead support for High Line Art comes from Amanda and Don Mullen. Major support is provided by Shelley Fox Aarons and Philip E. Aarons, The Brown Foundation, Inc., and Charina Endowment Fund.

High Line Art is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams.

This project is supported in part by the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York and the Swedish Consulate General in New York.

Major support of High Line Art digital infrastructure is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Host or Publisher High Line Horticulture