Stallos lasso / Stallus suohpan

In Stállo’s Lasso / Stallus suohpan, Lena Stenberg brings mythology into the present. Stállo is the giant who in the stories wants to destroy the Sámi, but who is defeated by cunning. The work unites two well-known forms: the lavvu and the lasso, tools that are still used in reindeer herding. The large throwing line can also be viewed as a snare or a noose – an image of how the Sámi culture was repressed by state and economic interests. Stenberg grew up in the Sámi village of Laevas outside Kiruna and carries her family’s experiences of the forced displacements of the early 1900s. In her art, she connects historical memories to current power conflicts and shows how they continue to shape both people and landscape.