Tate Modern has unveiled a breathtaking new sculptural installation by Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara, offering visitors a poignant reflection on ecological resilience, cultural heritage, and the interconnectedness of life. The monumental work, Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil, occupies the full 28-metre height of the Turbine Hall, transforming the vast industrial space into a sacred homage to the Sámi people, reindeer herding traditions, and the fragile northern environment they inhabit.
Born into a reindeer-herding family in Sápmi—the traditional territory of the Indigenous Sámi people, spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland, and parts of Russia—Sara draws deeply from ancestral knowledge and lived experience.
Máret Ánne Sara. Photograph by Jonathan Watts.
Her installation is woven from reindeer hides and bones, wood, and industrial materials such as electrical cables, accompanied by an evocative soundscape and natural scents. It offers more than art; it is a multi-sensory invocation of Indigenous science, presenting power not as extraction or industry but as a life force flowing through earth, animals, and culture.
Titled Goavve—a Sámi term referring to the alarming environmental phenomenon where ice layers obstruct access to food for animals caused by extreme climate fluctuations—the sculpture stands as a monument to ecological crisis and cultural endurance. The hides bound by electrified cables symbolise the ongoing exploitation of Sámi land, while simultaneously embodying ancestral strength and spiritual continuity.
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil installation view featuring -Geabbil at Tate Modern 2025. © Máret Ánne Sara. Photo © Tate (Sonal Bakrania).
Sara explains, “Materials communicate with me. This installation honours the reciprocal relationship between the Sámi people, the reindeer, and the land. For us, the reindeer is actually a very close relative. Humans, nature and animals are interdependent and equal.” She invites visitors to embrace an alternative vision of power as a sacred life force rooted in Earth’s interconnected systems.
The east end of the Turbine Hall houses Geabbil, a labyrinthine structure inspired by the anatomy of the reindeer’s nose, capable of heating air by 80°C rapidly. Visitors wander through the wooden passages carved with reindeer earmarks—distinct cultural symbols passed through generations—along which hides and bones are intricately integrated, underscoring respect and reciprocity with animal life.
Sara’s incorporation of scent and sound deepens the experience: from the reindeer’s scent of ‘fear’ as a stress signal, to the hopeful aromas of native plants like lichen and shoegrass, alongside joik—the traditional Sámi musical expression—and oral histories shared by elders. This immersive environment invites reflection on the reciprocal bonds that define Sámi existence and informed ecological stewardship.
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil installation view featuring Goavve- at Tate Modern 2025. © Máret Ánne Sara. Photo © Tate (Jai Monaghan).
This installation marks the 10th anniversary of the Hyundai Commission, a transformative annual series made possible through the longstanding Tate-Hyundai partnership, which has been extended until 2036.
The series has historically commissioned ambitious, site-specific artworks transforming the Turbine Hall, from Kara Walker’s memorable fountain to Anicka Yi’s ethereal creations. Curators Helen O’Malley and Hannah Gorlizki, alongside producer Nancy Cooper and coordinator Amelia Francis, bring Sara’s vision to life in this singular presentation.
Visitors can experience Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil at Tate Modern from October 14, 2025, to April 6, 2026. The installation is open daily, with extended evening hours on Fridays and Saturdays, and admission is free.
Director of Tate Modern Karin Hindsbo notes, “Máret Ánne Sara is among a prolific group of Sámi artists who have received widespread international attention in recent years for making visible the issues facing Sápmi and Sámi people. By addressing the major social, ecological and political concerns of her community, Sara hopes not only to increase interest and awareness, but also to effect real change.”
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil installation view featuring -Geabbil at Tate Modern 2025. © Máret Ánne Sara. Photo © Tate (Sonal Bakrania).
Sara’s work brings urgent conversations about Indigenous futures, environmental justice, and the reframing of art histories into one of the world’s most significant contemporary art venues.
Her installation offers a profound reminder of our shared responsibility to protect fragile ecosystems and cultural legacies. It represents a timeless dialogue between tradition and contemporary challenges, inviting all who enter to witness the sacred connections that sustain life.
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil
- When: 14 October 2025 – 6 April 2026
- Where: Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG
- Open daily 10.00–18.00, and until 21:00 every Friday and Saturday
- Admission is free
More information is available at tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern.
Lead image: Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil installation view featuring -Geabbil at Tate Modern 2025. © Máret Ánne Sara. Photo © Tate (Sonal Bakrania).
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