Artists: Berit Kristine Guvsám ∣ Gunvor Guttorm ∣ Iŋgos-Máhte Iŋgá, Inga Ravna Eira ∣ Jasmine Te Hira ∣ Tanya Reihana White
Curator: Zoe Black
Biennale artistic directors: Aude Christel Mgba and Bruno Alves de Almeida

Architecture of Aroha is a collaborative project that explores indigenous practices in Aotearoa New Zealand and Sápmi, unfolding a dialogue between two objects that hold important cultural significance: the wahakura and the gietkka, baby sleeping vessels from the Māori and Sámi communities.

Architecture of Aroha was first presented at The Luleå Biennial 2024, at Konsthallen Kulturens Hus in Luleå 2 March–26 May 2024. The exhibition is on view at Objectspace in Aotearoa New Zealand 30 November 2024–16 March 2025.

The project is a collaboration between Gunvor Guttorm, Berit Kristine Andersen Guvsám, Inga Ravne Eira, Tanya White, and Jasmine Te Hira, curated by Zoe Black. The project unfolds a dialogue between two objects that hold important cultural significance: the wahakura and the gietkka, baby sleeping vessels from Māori and Sámi communities respectively. Within these Indigenous groups, the making of the baby cradle and its materiality is more than a craft, it's a school of ancestral wisdom about care and love and the interconnected world that brings nature, the land, the makers, the families, the ancestors, and the extended community together.

A workshop and a lecture were hosted during the Luleå Biennial's closing week, bringing together Māori and Sámi practitioners and knowledge holders. Information about The Luleå Biennial's complete closing programme is available here.

The exhibition

The design of both the wahakura and the gietkka reflect a deep understanding of the natural world. For each, materials are sourced locally to echo the rhythms of the environment and show the connection between all aspects of life and land for Indigenous peoples.

The sleeping vessel’s innovation does not only lie in their complex technology and design but in the thoughtful consideration of the baby's well-being within the context of community life as a whole. Respectively, the wahakura and the gietkka embody the essence and resilience of Sámi and Māori thinking and the continuous relationships to the past, present, and future.

Architecture of Aroha is an installation composed of two gietkka and two wahakura, alongside films showcasing the process of their making. The exhibition space is imagined as an intimate meeting ground where both communities share understanding and pass down knowledge.

Film: Gietkka by Gunvor Guttorm and Berit Kristine Andersen Guvsám

Films in the exhibition:
Wahakura film by Emily Parr
Gietkka film by Karl-Oskar Gustafsson

With thanks to:
Karl-Oskar Gustafsson, Manaia Kolio, Emily Parr, Nikau Reihana-Wallis, Mikael Pirak and Ove Stødle

The project is made in collaboration with- and supported by Norwegian Crafts, as well as Nordic Culture Fund, Objectspace and Sámi allaskuvla / Sámi University of Applied Sciences.