With a conceptual proclivity, Grahn’s work combines photography, text, sculpture and sound in site-specific installations to question structures of power, politics and identity. On a more personal level, she is interested in perceptions of nature, social roles and our relationships, Grahn’s Sámi heritage being a central impetus and part of her practice. The affective pieces Grahn creates bring awareness to the effects of colonization on Sámi communities. In works such as Look Who’s Talking and the series Notes on Hide, Grahn complicates these narratives by inserting Indigenous culture and politics into the arts landscape. Much of her work uses materials such as wood, animal hides and fabric, each piece telling its own story and drawing connections between people and nature.

Writing is another important element of Grahn’s practice. Her writing on Sámi art and culture has been published in Afterall, she has been a guest editor for Hjärnstorm and published a novel titled Lo & Professorn (2013). Grahn has presented her work in the solo exhibition I Have Scrutinized Every Stone and Log on the Southwest Side of the Mountain (2020), and has shown work internationally in group exhibitions that include: Come Back as a Flower (2021-2022), Friendship. Nature. Culture (2021-2022), Among All These Tundras (2018, 2019 and 2021), In Dialogue (2017) and My Name is Nature (2016). A versatile and collaborative artist, Grahn is also one of the founders of the Sámi Girl Gang, along with Silje Figenschou Toresen.

Credit: This video was originally published by Röda Sten Konsthall on February 14, 2020. Courtesy of Röda Sten Konsthall.