Idja Váile Åppås By Aili Jensen

Artist Statement: “Night of untouched snow”
This piece depicts two young Sami girls engulfed by a snowy forest with paper star lanterns brightening up the girls with a few hiding in the dark forest. The Sami people are the indigenous people of northern Europe and many don't know about them. My ancestors were Sami and I have a lot of pride in my ethnicity. I made a parody of the painting Carnation Lily, Lily Rose by John Singer Sargent. I love his work and really wanted to add a part of myself to my painting. I want people to learn about the Sami and in my painting the trees obscure the girls, while the light illuminates them. This is a metaphor for how unknown Sami culture is. As time or people have forgotten or hidden the culture, it still persists glowing through the dark.