In conversation about traces, artist Katarina Pirak Sikku meets author Annica Wennström. Both have contributed to the anthology Inifrån Sápmi. Vittnesmål från stulet land (published by Verbal förlag).
It’s about traces that can be seen, and those that exist but can’t be seen, as well as those swept away a long time ago but that can never be erased. Taking a trip down memory lane, Katarina writes about the life of her father, artist Lars Pirak, while Annica remembers the painful past she shared with her family, in a poetic exhortation that resembles a yoik. The conversation is moderated by editor and author Patricia Fjellgren.
Katarina Pirak Sikku
Born 1965, artist, lives in Jåhkåmåhkke. In March 2021, she presented her latest work Agálaččat bivttastuvvon sohkagotti ivnniiguin Ihkuven aajkan maadtoej klaeriejgujmie gåårveldihkie at the maps and pictures section of the Carolina Rediviva library at Uppsala University. Her work encases the photo albums that remain after the actions of the State Institute for Racial Biology in a well-thought-through case that takes its inspiration from the area’s clothing tradition. The material is cloth, pewter wire, beads, ribbon and lace. Katarina is seeking to revive the story behind these black and white photographs by forever wrapping and covering those in the photos with their own stories and traditions.
Annica Wennström
Born 1966 in Örnsköldsvik, lives in Solna. Author, teacher in creative writing, and freelance screenwriting editor. She’s from the southern parts of Sábmi, but growing up, she mostly lived in the Umeå area. Exploring the Sami theme, she’s written Lappskatteland – en familjesaga (published by Wahlström and Widstrand, 2006) and Skuggrädsla (published by Bonnier Carlsen, 2009). In addition, she’s written some twenty books that include thrillers, relationship novels and youth literature.
Patricia Fjellgren
Född 1976 i Stockholm och är nord- och sydsame. Hon bodde sina första sex år i Saudiarabien och därefter i Stockholms förorter. Hon är numera bosatt i Staare. Har arbetat med revitalisering av de samiska språken i många olika roller. I 2017 mottog hon Språkrådets Minoritetsspråkspris för sitt arbete. Hon är även en av initiativtagarna till den språkpedagogiska föreställningen Gïellačïrkuš/Språkcirkus på Giron Sámi Teáhter där hon också medverkar som skådespelare
