Dáiddadállu Receives Munch Award 2026
The Sámi artist network Dáiddadállu is the third recipient of the MUNCH Award, awarded by the museum to honour artistic freedom of expression, which is under increasing political and social pressure.
Dáiddadállu consists of 22 artist partners and an administration, representing art forms such as visual arts, film, dance, theatre, choreography, TV production, performing arts, design, authorship, music and joik.
The network was founded in 2014 by artist and author Máret Ánne Sara and choreographer and filmmaker Elle Sofe Sara, both from Guovdageaidnu in Sápmi. Dáiddadállu’s members live and work across the Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish regions of Sápmi in a unique interdisciplinary Sámi arts community.
Sámi epistemology and knowledge systems form the foundation of Dáiddadállu’s work, with a particular emphasis on holistic thinking, openness, solidarity, and sustainability for nature, people, animals, culture, and livelihoods. The network is committed to the development and preservation of a healthy and vibrant Sápmi, striving to foster fair, lasting, and sustainable development through all of its activities, which are carried out in Sápmi and in other regions of the world.
Recent projects include artist Máret Ánne Sara's Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, Goavve-Geabbil (2025), which argued that energy is a sacred life-force rooted in ancestral knowledge and interconnection, rather than a resource to be exploited; and choreographer Elle Sofe Sara's dance production Láhppon/Lost (2025), a performance which reflects on the Kautokeino Rebellion of 1852 – a violent religious and political uprising by the Sámi population against the authorities’ official assimilation policy, Norwegianisation. Also in 2025, the EU-funded research project Birgejupmi Through Art & Duodji, executed with partners from Sápmi, Kalaallit Nunaat, and Canada, explored how art and duodji (traditional Sámi handicrafts) function not only as expressions, but also as methods for mobilising knowledge and strengthening Indigenous perspectives. An understanding of Birgejupmi as a lived practice, a knowledge system, and a way of being in relation to land, sea, and community forms the foundation of this work.
The MUNCH Award is presented annually in the spirit of Edvard Munch (1863–1944), who was a champion of artistic freedom, experimentation and individual liberation, and uses the museum's international reach to highlight important issues that artists have raised through their work and participation in public discourse.
Dáiddadállu Managing Director Dine Arnannguaq Fenger Lyngecommented: “We have worked hard for many years to build Dáiddadállu into what it is today. It has been about creating a platform and an infrastructure where Sámi artists can develop, work, collaborate, and engage with the world on their own terms. That is why this award means so much to us. It is a recognition of the work put in over many years, of the people who have built Dáiddadállu, and of the importance of having strong Sámi art institutions. At the same time, the award gives us the inspiration and energy to continue developing Dáiddadállu further.”
Main Image: Dáiddadállu