“The idea of creating a circumpolar summit for arts and culture started in 2015. At the time, the political discussions on the future development of the Arctic were led from the South and the northern perspective was rarely taken into consideration. I was struck by how international reports and official documents on the Arctic were limited to resource management and global environmental issues. Arts and culture were not even mentioned as areas of political interest.
Yet, from our northern perspective, culture was and remains an imperative driving force for sustainable growth and development in the North. The first Arctic Arts Summit became a reality in June 2017, with official representation from all eight Arctic countries, including the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Arctic Council secretariat, the European Union and a broad spectrum of arts institutions, art organizations and artists.”
–Maria Utsi, Summit Founder and 2022 International Liaison
Explore the events from the 2022 Arctic Arts Summit:
TETHER, a 2022 Arctic Arts Summit exhibition, features over 50 works by Northern Indigenous artists. Co-curated by four Indigenous curators, it explores themes of identity, land, and knowledge across the North, showcasing diverse perspectives in Northern Indigenous art.
Exploring Northern Indigeneity with the TETHER Curatorial TeamLand of None | Land of Us’, a featured exhibition of the 2022 Arctic Arts Summit, showcases contemporary circumpolar photography challenging the notion of an ’empty’ Arctic. Curated by northern Indigenous curators, the exhibition highlights Indigenous connections to land, knowledge, and relationships across the circumpolar world, asserting a continuous presence and refuting colonial ‘Terra Nullius’ narratives.
Land of None | Land of UsNuiharuq (“visible from a distance”) is the 2022 Arctic Arts Summit’s performance arts component. Curated by Reneltta Arluk, it features diverse circumpolar artists in theatre, dance, music, and puppetry. This multi-venue journey along the Yukon River explores connections to land and story through both traditional and contemporary practices.
NUIHARUQ