TEAM HORISONTTI SAUNA
HALLSTEIN
Hallstein is an architectural studio consisting of Zoe – Yan Zou, Petr Tuma, Bo Peng, Junjia Yu, og Hallstein Guthu. Guthu (b. 1979) grew up in Vesisaari/Čáhcesuolu/Vadsø. After completing a Master’s degree in Architecture at NTNU in Trondheim in 2005, he moved to Vienna to work at Coop Himmelb(l)au. Between 2007 and 2012, he worked at Foster + Partners in London. He later returned to Oslo to work with MMW Architects before founding HALLSTEIN in the summer of 2016. HALLSTEIN is a studio for landscape, architecture, and design, creating functional, simple, and beautiful architecture for private clients, as well as projects for restaurants and bars, boutique interiors, cultural venues, and exhibitions. Guthu is a board member of NODA – Northern Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture, and the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments in Finnmark.
Photo: Brian Perktold
BENEDICT BELDAM
Benedict Beldam (b. 1994) works with performance, sound, text, and installation, rooted in Kven culture. Their practice integrates the fluid aspects of culture, such as sauna, sea, sour milk, and tar burning. With an MA from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts and a BA in Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy from the University of Oslo, hän is the director of Performance Art Norway, based in Oslo. Beldam has exhibited nationally and internationally and has ongoing projects in Sápmi and the Nordic countries, including Bodø 2024 European Capital of Culture. Previous projects in Vesisaari/Čáhcesuolu/Vadsø include the Kven Biennial, the Varanger Sauna Festival as festival artist, and now Horisontti Sauna.
Photo: Susanne Hætta
ÅSNE KUMMENJE MELLEM
Åsne Kummeneje Mellem (b. 1995, Tromsø) is a Kven visual artist educated at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (BA) and the Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art (MFA). She explores and challenges traditional craft techniques in dialogue with contemporary art, with a specific focus on Kven handicraft—käsityö. The gap that has emerged between older and younger generations due to Norwegianization has become a central theme in her practice. What is Kven craft, and how can it be made relevant today? Kummeneje Mellem is one of the initiators of Kväänitaitheiliijat – the Kven Artists’ Association. In recent years, she has presented several solo and group exhibitions across Norway, and her works have been acquired by the National Museum, the Northern Norwegian Art Museum, and Vadsø Museum – Ruija Kven Museum. Her works can also be seen in the cafeteria of the Government Building in Vesisaari/Čáhcesuolu/Vadsø.
Photo: Rikke Løe Hovdal
