Markus Naarttijärvi

(Sweden)

Markus Naarttijärvi grew up in the mining town of Kiruna in the far north of Sweden and spent his youth exploring and photographing the industrial areas of the mining towns where his family lived. After having completed his military service as a photographer he worked as a photojournalist for a few years before pursuing an academic career in law. He currently works as a full professor of law at Umeå University, where his research and teaching revolve around constitutional rights and the rule of law, in particular the intersection of technology, security, and human rights. His photographic projects are focused on the natural and industrial landscapes of the north, with a particular fondness for documenting the solitude of the winter darkness.

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Hinterland

Northern Sweden is currently undergoing a green industrial transformation. Investments in large scale battery production reignite one region, as new paper and steel mills are developed to reduce emissions from previously CO2 intensive industries in others. The arctic mining town of Kiruna is uprooted and moved to make place for expanded iron-ore mining, while further mining concessions in the area aim to make Europe self-sufficient in rare-earth minerals crucial for the green transition. While vitally important, these projects also impact other important interests, such as the protection of the surrounding natural and cultural environments and the interests of surrounding communities. Mining in the arctic also impact the rights of the indigenous Sami people dependent on these lands for reindeer herding. Consequently, while this industrial transformation contributes to investments in the north, it also reignites simmering debates about the distribution of the burdens and profits of these developments.

In the project Hinterland, these developments will be explored through documentary landscape photography, visualizing the liminal spaces between the profitable and the untamed, and the interactions between function and beauty in the arctic landscape. The aim is to bring to the surface underlying narratives of this industrial transformation through its manifestation in the natural and cultural landscape.