Tomas is Sami, born and grown up in a small village Björkvattnet Tärna, at the border of Norway/ Sweden. In Tomas artwork, he asks how colonial heritage has changed indigenous lives and landscapes, both of the sami and other indigenous peoples. Struggling to revitalize his mother tongue, south Sami language, he works with visual art, using Sami history and collective memory as the source to his art. His work with printed art on different materia that cast shadows can be read as a metaphor for governmental invisibility of Sami people and culture. In his art Tomas seeks to assemble a language to formulate the loss but also rejuvenation of Sami identity. Questions that is global and effect everybody in one or another way. Colbengtson is initiator of one of the first art residence for indigenous artists “Sapmi Salasta 2018.
Colbengtson has exhibited in 26 countries and is represented in the British Museum, The National Museum of Oslo and the Sami Parliament of Norway, among others.
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Statement from the jury:
"The jury expresses deep admiration for Tomas Colbengtson’s exploration of printmaking within a practice that transcends the boundaries of art to gain socio-political relevance. A Sámi artist, Colbengtson utilizes the printed medium to address societal issues faced by indigenous communities, promting reflections on history and questioning its truths. His distinctive approach to printmaking pushes boundaries by incorporating performative elements into his creations, which he often locates within Sámi landscapes. Through his work, he reclaims them as lived indigenous spaces for the present and future.
With a career spanning over three decades, Colbengtson has consistently and fearlessly explored new forms of printed media and materials. From overlay glass to metal printing, etching, and digital art forms, he experiments to construct a language that captures the partial loss and contemporary recovery of Sámi identity and ways of life. The jury emphasizes the significance of Colbengtson’s powerful and thought-provoking message, which extends beyond the local context and resonates with equivalent movements across the world."
Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway said: “I am delighted that this year the award has gone to a Sami artist. Tomas Colbengtson’s work is already represented in museum collections and I hope this prize will make his work known even more widely internationally.”
