Our shared village

The life of the Sámi in Helsinki is diverse and multilingual, ever-changing and living in time. It is everyday life, work and study, and sometimes celebration. It is childhood, adolescence, adulthood and ageing. Travelling between the south and the north. It is concern for the preservation of Sámi languages and cultures, stress about the future and the next generations. The need to learn, maintain and influence. It can also be an escape from Sámi roots, a desire to blend in or hide among the masses of the city.

The materials in the exhibition have been produced, selected and exhibited by Sámi people living in Helsinki. The curatorial team consists of Aimo Aikio, Laura Feodoroff, Helmi Hagelin and Mari Gauriloff. The exhibition’s designers, architect Eveliina Sarapää and graphic designer Lotta Hagelin, are also Sámi.

The exhibition also explores urban Sámi identity, everyday life and celebrations, as well as the history of the Sámi in the Helsinki region. Portraits by photographer Marja Helander reflect the diversity of Helsinki’s Sámi community.

The exhibition explores personal experiences of the Sámi in contemporary Helsinki – our shared village.