Lada Suomenrinne

Artist, Saari Invited Artist (they/them)

Kuva | Photo: Jussi Virkkumaa

Lada Suomenrinne (b. 1995) is an artist from Sápmi, with roots in Northern Russia.

Their work is founded in belonging and the body-land trauma they explore in the imaginary landscapes of their works. Their objective is to create a dialogue with seen and unseen other species and ancestors. Suomenrinne is fascinated with the borderland and its unseen Sámi lakes, through which they explore the utopian landscapes of potential worlds. Together with the land, they seek a safe place as an indigenous citizen at the end of the world. At the Saari Residence, they will immerse themselves in the shared trauma of the body and the earth, resulting from the climate change, and in the memories that are transformed by lost currents. Will there only be a balance between humans and nature if humans either create gills for themselves or a different kind of humanity through transformation? How to be an artist who finds a sustainable existence on a wounded planet?

Suomenrinne holds a master’s degree in photography from Aalto University and is a world-renowned artist through their exhibitions, such as Even Better than a Real Thing – Whitney Biennale (2024), Earthworks – Bergen Kunsthall (2024), Søsterskap – Les Rencontres d’Arles (2023) and Landscapes of Belonging – Kindl Berlin (2022). Their works are also included in prestigious collections such as those of the Finnish Museum of Photography and the Finnish State Art Commission.