Aage Gaup

Forest Person

In the front of the park, a structure rises from the ground. The contours of a person can be seen in the forest, almost guarding the site. Aage Gaup’s piece is made from the trunks of pine trees, carved into a sculpture. From the material, he awakens vuovdeolmmo.
Aage Gaup: Forest Person. 2016. Environmental Art Park Ii. Photo: Antti J.Leinonen.

This piece pays homage to the people living in the rainforests of South America, a people who have grown up with awareness of their surroundings but have no voice in deciding the future of their lives. They know best how to care for the rainforest. Gaup’s piece raises global questions of capitalism and greed and supports indigenous cultures across the world.He applies knowledge of timber structures and joints used in Sámi tradition, while the work itself comments on a reality far from Sápmi.

Aage Gaup (b. 1943) is a Sámi sculptor and set designer who lives and works in Karasjok, Norway. He studied sculpting at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts (KIT) in 1972–1978. In his sculptures, Gaup works with materials, such as wood, concrete and metal. He has also worked in set design for film and theatre. Gaup is a founding member of the legendary Máze group. Established in 1978, this group of Sámi artists is famous for its works of art, as well as its political activism.

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