Arnajaraq Støvlbaek

Kalaallit Nunaat

Arnajaraq Støvlbaek is an artist, designer, curator and photographer working in Sisimiut, Greenland. She studied in Greenland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway. Her most recent exhibition AANAA – Memories of Smell was shown in Nuuk Art Museum and Sisimiut Museum, Greenland in 2020-21, and she has exhibited extensively across Denmark, Iceland and Norway. She is currently a member of the Board of Regulators for Nordatlantens Brygge, Copenhagen. She has also held key roles within the cultural life of Greenland, including Chair of the National Theatre of Greenland, and the Director of Sisimiut Cultural Centre.

Sapanngat (translated as ‘beads’) is a comment and reflection on the status, significance and history of beads as part of the culture of Kalaallit in which bead work has been valued for thousands of years. Originally made from bone, antlers or tusks, they became overshadowed by the coloured glass or clay beads introduced by European whale hunters, which subsequently became a symbol of wealth. Støvlbaek’s film quietly, but powerfully, uses the analogy of beads to depict the fragility of tradition, and how European trade has impacted on Kalaallit long-held values and identity.