Aage Gaup

Aage Gaup was a highly acclaimed, award-winning artist known for his work in the theatre and visual art. In both media, Gaup took his cue from Sami culture, often with a political slant. The personal is political, something that shines through in these four works. Three large charcoal drawings are based on Christmas cards and calendars that the artist found in his mother’s house after her passing, and on the back of which she had sketched the flight she took with her infant son during World War II. Gaup magnified these stored-away drawings and gave them a monumentality and visibility. The drawings were presented in a major installation at the exhibition “Dološ giella – ođđa hápmi ja báhtareaddjit” (‘Old language: New form and refugees’), held in 2018 at SDG in Karasjok. One of the sculptures has also been included here, a figure representing a female version of the wind god Bieggalmmái. The goddess signifies strength and power, attributes that may be either helpful or destructive. GH