Min árktalaš arkiiva / Our Arctic Archive

by Ramona Salo and Katarina Skår Lisa in Collaboration with Svalbardbased photographer Tom warner and The Sami musician and yoiker Lávre Johan Eira

Min árktalaš arkiiva / Our Arctic Archive is a body of work by the artist duo Ramona Salo Myrseth and Katarina Skår Lisa, created in collaboration with Svalbard-based photographer Tom Warner (2021) and Sámi musician and yoiker Lávre Johan Eira (2023).

The works were exhibited at Galleri Nordover in Longyearbyen from November 2023 to April 2024, but they began during a residency at Artica Svalbard in 2021, invited by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway.

During the residency, Ramona and Katarina carried out artistic research, archiving Arctic experiences through dialogue with people, movement in nature, collaborative workshops, landscape documentation, and the creation of linocuts on textile and paper.

In collaboration with Tom Warner, the duo documented performance happenings in the Arctic landscape — at Bjørndalen, along the fjord by Longyearbyen, and by Longyearbreen glacier.

With deep knowledge of the terrain, Tom guided and witnessed these encounters, capturing the interplay between movement, textile, and place in still and moving images. These later became key components of the exhibition.

For the exhibition’s opening in November 2023, Sámi musician and yoiker Lávre Johan Eira composed soundtracks for the video works and created the sonic landscape for a live performance in the gallery — a piece grounded in movement, listening, and embodied presence.

Composer Simen Korsmo Robertsen also contributed an original composition to one of the videos.

ABOUT RAMONA AND KATARINA’S ARTISTIC COLLABOARTION
Though Ramona Salo Myrseth and Katarina Skår Lisa each maintain individual practices, their collaborative work explores their shared Sea Sámi heritage. Their dialogue delves into themes of memory, belonging, and the political tensions faced by Sámi communities today. Together, they explore the ecology of creation — one rooted in culture, relationship, and care.

Where was it performed?

November 4th, opening of the exhibition and performance at https://www.nordoversvalbard.no/

Our Arctic Archive was initiated and produced by Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum and the curator of the exhibition was Lise Dahl. The opening took place at Nordover on November 4, 2023, and the exhibition was running until April 14, 2024. Works of this exhibiton is now a part of the art collection at Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum.