Jouni S. Laiti presents his latest art objects at the Sami Museum in Inari. He uses materials and techniques that the Sami have used for centuries and places them in a new context. Among other things, he is showing a wooden drinking vessel, which the Sami traditionally make from burls - growths on birch trunks. However, this cup has two handles decorated with reindeer antler work. Laiti calls the work ‘I'm madly in love with you’. He also shows an object that looks like a knife at first glance. Its handle is made of birch wood and reindeer horn, and instead of a sharp metal blade, he uses a feather from a large bird. He calls the work ‘gentleness’. ‘Even if something looks sharp, it can feel gentle,’ explains the artist. ‘You can also apply that to life.’
Jouni comes from a traditional northern Sami family. He has spent half his life working as a reindeer herder in the north of Finland. And at some point he changed his life completely. His brother took over the reindeer herd and he began to study traditional Sámi crafts and handicrafts at the Sámi University in Norway. Duodji is the Sámi term for this. In the past, children learnt the craft from their parents, so today duodji is an apprenticeship. Jouni completed a bachelor's and master's degree in Duodji as well as a pedagogical training to teach traditional Sámi crafts and artwork in a kind of vocational school. ‘I quickly realised that I'm not just a craftsman, but also an artist,’ says the 60-year-old modestly in a low voice in the middle of his bustling exhibition at the Sami Museum and Nature Centre - Siida in Inari, and then he shows his pride a little and lists where his objects have already been shown. These include many cities in Scandinavia and Paris. As part of the Sápmi Triennial, his artworks will also be exhibited at the National Gallery in Toronto, Canada, in two years' time.
From the autumn, he will be able to concentrate fully on his art for two years, as he will receive a grant for this period from the Finnish Arts Council. ‘I like my job as a teacher,’ he admits. ‘It allows me to pass on my knowledge and my culture.’ But, of course, he doesn't have the time or peace and quiet for art.
He is inspired by the solitude of northern Finland, the region where he grew up. ‘I spend a lot of time there and collect my materials in the forests.’ But he is also familiar with modern life in the city. There are still the Sami who live with and from their reindeer herds, and there are Sami who have an office job. ‘And I also work in this area of conflict.’ For Jouni, it is crucial to put the traditional objects and materials that have been part of the Sámi people's survival for centuries into a new context." It's about the destruction of nature or the daily coexistence of people. "All of us, including the Sámi, who still live more traditionally, now have a modern lifestyle. What does this mean for our nature, which we are so proud of and which we want to preserve?" As an artist, he can provide inspiration.
With his work, Jouni wants to draw attention to the rich culture of the Sami people. Even if many things, such as cups and knives, are no longer used in the traditional way today, they still tell a lot about the life of the indigenous people. ‘It's part of our identity.’ He then shows the work ‘Bureaucracy’ in his exhibition, which he is not the only one who sometimes despairs of. For example, if he wants to take his students out into nature, he first needs authorisation. ‘And by the time we have this, the short window of opportunity to collect certain materials for our craft is already over.’ ‘Bureaucracy’ is a work made from various types of wood with lots of rough edges, but not brutal, rather light and perhaps a little ironic. The artist himself does not comment on this interpretation.
Photos:
1. Jouni S. Laiti; Photo. Arto_Liiti_Rovaniemi_Art_Museum.
2. i'm madly in love with you; Photo: Saara-Maija Pesonen / Samimuseum Siida
3. bureaucracy. Photo; Saara-Maija Pesonen/Samimuseum Siida
4. gentleness. Photo; Saara-Maija Pesonen/Samimuseum Siida
5. Jouni S. Laiti and Kirsi M. Paltto; Photo: Arto_Liiti/Rovaniemi Art Museum
(Jouni and Kirsi have participated in several exhibitions together for a couple of years)
6 Droplets of Joy. Photo: Jouni S. Laiti (Kirsi Máret Paltto assembles the "Droplets of Joy" artwork)
7. Universe (birch burl and reindeer antler) by Jouni S. Laiti; Photo: Beatrix Flatt
