A work by Máret Ánne Sara for the exhibition Environmental Injustice: Indigenous Alternatives at the Museum of Ethnography in Geneva, 2021.

Photo: Jonathan Watts.

Máret Ánne Sara Named 2025 Turbine Hall Commission Artist at Tate Modern

By Elysia Lior, 06 Mar 2025

North Sámi artist and writer Máret Ánne Sara has been announced as the next artist to undertake Tate Modern’s prestigious Turbine Hall commission, marking her first major public exhibition in the UK. The commission, revealed on 4 March, will see Sara’s new work unveiled in October 2025, with the exhibition running until April 2026.

Sara, who is renowned for her sculptural and installation-based works, draws heavily on her experiences within Sámi communities, using art to address urgent global ecological issues. Her practice reflects on Nordic colonial legacies, the threats to Sámi traditional ways of life, and the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge and environmental ethics for future generations.

Born in 1983 in Guovdageaidnu, Norway, to a family of Sámi reindeer herders, Sara continues to live and work in her hometown. Her artistic approach often incorporates materials and techniques rooted in reindeer herding culture, creating powerful, visceral works that connect human, animal, and environmental worlds.

Sara is also a founding member of the Dáiddadállu artist collective, and her work has previously been featured in major international exhibitions, including Documenta 14 and the 59th Venice Biennale, where she garnered critical acclaim. One of her most well-known pieces, Pile o' Sápmi (2017), exhibited at Documenta, featured hundreds of reindeer skulls suspended on curtains, directly confronting the Norwegian government's controversial reindeer culling laws — policies that many argue violate Sámi rights and traditions.

Karin Hindsbo, Director of Tate Modern, praised Sara’s selection, noting:

“In recent years, Sámi artists have gained deserved international attention for the powerful ways they confront the contemporary issues facing their communities. Sara’s work opens vital conversations around social justice, ecology, and Indigenous sovereignty — and we hope her Turbine Hall commission will inspire and challenge audiences to reflect more deeply on these pressing global issues.”

Sara’s commission is expected to continue her exploration of the relationships between people, land, and animals, offering a striking intervention into one of the world’s most iconic museum spaces. Her selection also reflects a broader movement within the international art world to amplify Indigenous voices and challenge long-standing institutional exclusions.

The Turbine Hall commission, one of the most high-profile opportunities for contemporary artists worldwide, has previously hosted groundbreaking works by artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Kara Walker, and Ai Weiwei. Sara’s project is already being hailed as a landmark moment for Indigenous art in the UK, and a critical platform for issues of environmental justice and decolonisation.

Sara’s Turbine Hall commission will open to the public on 14 October 2025 and run until 6 April 2026.