Warning Signal in the Turbine Hall

**Exploring Power Dynamics Through Art: Máret Ánne Sara’s Installation at Tate Modern**

In the expansive Turbine Hall of London’s Tate Modern, Máret Ánne Sara’s latest installation invites visitors to reconsider their understanding of power. Stradding both industrial and natural realms, Sara’s oeuvre interlaces reindeer hides with taut electrical cables, a poignant reminder of how indigenous lives are intricately laced with nature and threatened by modern energy infrastructures.

Sara, a Sámi artist hailing from a lineage of reindeer herders in Sápmi, confronts the existential threats posed by climate change and industrial expansion in her work, “Goavve-Geabbil.” The piece’s first part, “Goavve,” references an extreme weather condition that hardens snow, challenging the reindeer’s survival. Yet, Sara’s choice of a technical Sámi term epitomizes her call to reorient discussions of power through indigenous ecological knowledge.

Inside the installation’s second vignette, modeled on the reindeer’s nose, visitors embark on a multi-sensory journey. Here, the enveloping warmth, textured hides, and ambient sounds of reindeer and Sámi joiking immerse participants in Sápmi’s cultural tapestry. This echoes Sara’s advocacy for valuing non-visual, ancestral modes of understanding.

Despite some criticism of its modest scale, Sara’s piece transcends visual spectacle, offering a meditative encounter that challenges us to recognize the interconnectedness of communities and ecosystems.

As Europe’s awareness of its indigenous peoples burgeons, Sara’s work is vital, prompting advocacy for the Sámi worldview. Her Tate Modern installation emphasizes that learning from Sámi science isn’t just beneficial but crucial as humanity grapples with climate challenges.

The exhibition, curated by Helen O’Malley and Hannah Gorlizki, runs at Tate Modern through April 6, 2026, offering a potent commentary on the interdependencies that shape our world.