Arctic Art Summit 2019

The 3 days of thought-provoking debates at the Arctic Art Summit 2019 in Rovaniemi are now over. Hot arctic issues, such as the the necessity for the North to make its own decisions and the risks of exoticization, have been well delved into. Meaningful connections have been established between people working diligently for the sustainable development of culture in the Arctic. We come out of it refreshed with new perspectives, thrilled with prospects and, we may say, with one last consideration: the term ‘arctic’, that so many are willing to display on their lapels and titles, proves to be as useful as far as a 'working definition' goes. Beyond that, when you try to pin it down, delimit its actual boundaries, create adherence to it, the term reveals its unreliable, unsubstantial character and its inability to call forth a description of something actual, for its nature is just that of a mental construct fundamentally rooted on subjective experience. (Similarly, we can enjoy nowadays a wide offer of fashionable concepts, terms and labels, that when worn a little too tightly, tend to foster hierarchies between people and nicely make you feel more special) #arcticartssummit

As a finale of their performance, the collective Nordting invites the audience to celebrate their Nordic-ness by drinking vodka on the stage.