Hyundai Motor and Tate Announce the Opening of Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil
- Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil is a monumental new sculptural installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall
- The 10th Hyundai Commission explores the possibilities offered by Indigenous science and worldviews, deepening our connection to and protection of the living world for future generations
- Hyundai Motor’s long-term partnership with Tate continues to support art and collaborations that foster connections across boundaries within and beyond the art ecosystem
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Hyundai Motor Company and Tate Modern are excited to announce the opening of Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil, a monumental new sculptural installation by Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. For her first major work in the UK, the artist draws on her lived experience as member of a reindeer herding family to highlight ecological issues impacting Sámi life. Combining hides and bones derived from traditional reindeer herding practices with wood, industrial materials, sound and scent, Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil is an immersive work honoring the reciprocal relationship between the Sámi people, the reindeer, and the land.
The exhibition marks the 10th annual Hyundai Commission, which offers artists the opportunity to interpret the vast industrial space of the Turbine Hall, made possible by the long-term partnership between Tate and Hyundai Motor. Founded in 2014 and recently extended for another decade until 2036, the partnership is the longest initial commitment from a corporate partner in Tate’s history and encompasses support of both the Hyundai Commission and the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational.
We are delighted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hyundai Commission with Máret Ánne Sara’s significant work, which transforms Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall into a space grounded in Indigenous history, knowledge and practice. Reflecting Sámi perspectives, Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil invites audiences to engage with complex interconnections of our shared world and fosters new dialogues about our collective future.
A multi-layered sculpture comprising reindeer hides tightly bound by electrical power cables stretches the full 28 meter height of the Turbine Hall.
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil, Installation View at Tate Modern. Photo © Tate (Ben Fisher)
Created as a monument to honor the reindeer and acknowledge lives lost due to climate change, the title Goavve- refers to a worsening environmental condition caused by extreme temperature fluctuations, in which rain and melted snow freeze into layers of ice on the land’s surface, preventing animals from accessing food sources below. The cables represent the continued extraction of resources from Sápmi through mining and energy developments, leading to the destruction of ecosystems, the displacement of animals and people, and the erosion of cultural practices. The hides symbolize the enduring power that flows from ancestral traditions, embodying the strength, knowledge and spiritual connections passed down through generations. Goavve- serves as a powerful reminder of the interdependence of all living beings and the importance of fostering balance in our shared world.
At the east end of the Turbine Hall, visitors can move through a maze-like structure based on the anatomy of the reindeer nose, an organ which can heat air by 80°C in under a second. Titled -Geabbil, visitors are invited to attune themselves to the energy and ancestral knowledge that courses through the winding passages.
Left: Máret Ánne Sara (Hyundai Commission artist). Photo © Tate (Ben Fisher) Right: Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil, Installation View at Tate Modern. Photo © Tate (Ben Fisher)
The walls of the installation are constructed from wooden poles carved with reindeer earmarks, distinct patterns that are passed down by generations of Sámi people to distinguish their herds and indicate their lifelong commitment to safeguarding the animals and their environment. As part of the traditional Sámi practice of duodji, hides and bones are integrated into the walls, giving new life to parts of the reindeer not used for food or clothing. This ensures that nothing is wasted, serving as a gesture of gratitude and respect to the reindeer.
The artist’s materials are infused with scent, a significant aspect of non-verbal communication between lifeforms. These range from the smell of ‘fear’ released by the reindeer, to the smell of ‘hope’ carried by native plants in Sápmi. A soundscape fills the Turbine Hall, comprised of environmental recordings from the Sápmi landscape and the Sámi musical practice, joik, alongside oral knowledge shared by elders from the artist’s community.
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil offers a space to consider the possibilities offered by Sámi science and worldviews in the growing ecological crisis, deepening our connection to and protection of the living world for future generations.
Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil
14 October, 2025 – 6 April, 2026, Tate Modern
In partnership with Hyundai Motor
Pictured above: Hyundai Commission: Máret Ánne Sara: Goavve-Geabbil, Installation View at Tate Modern. Photo © Tate (Ben Fisher)
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Wolfgang Würth
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