Sisu / Lecture: The History of the Finnish in Sweden
11 april 11.15 am–12.15 am • In this lecture, Ali Jonasson explores the presence of Finnish speakers in Sweden over the centuries – including the lesser-known Finnish history of Bohuslän.
Sisu / Text Workshop with Meri Alarcón
Workshops
Sisu / Text Workshop with Meri Alarcón
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Welcome to an open workshop where we explore poetry as a way of breaking through linguistic and creative barriers. Together with poet and writer Meri Alarcón, participants will try simple writing exercises and work creatively with words, sentences, and cuttings from newspapers. The workshop is held in Swedish and uses playful methods where text can be combined with collages of words and images. The workshop takes place in the first room of the exhibition.
The workshop is suitable both for those who already write and for those who are curious to start. Drop-in. Free of charge, but visitors aged 26 or over must pay the exhibition admission fee.
About
Meri Alarcón
Meri Alarcón (born 1981) grew up in Kiruna and is now based in Gothenburg. She works as a poet, writer, and translator, with a literary voice shaped by experiences of place, belonging, and multilingualism. Her work sits at the intersection of language, identity, and literature, with a particular focus on Meänkieli – one of Sweden’s national minority languages. Through her writing and work as a translator, she contributes to strengthening and highlighting Tornedalian perspectives in contemporary literature. Alarcón is one of four editors of the Tornedalian literary magazine “Meänmaa“ and is actively involved in developing the literary conversation around language, culture, and minority issues.
11 april
Sisu / Language & Comics
During a full day, we will explore comics as a means of telling stories about heritage, belonging, and experiences that move across languages and countries. Sweden and Finland share a long and intertwined history. The past century has seen war and migration, events that continue to be reflected in both stories and demographics. Today, Finnish and Meänkieli are recognised as national minority languages in Sweden. Using comics as our starting point, The Nordic Watercolour Museum, together with the Swedish Comics Association, invites you to a day of lectures, talks, and workshops. Come to explore identity through creative drawing or simply to listen to the stories of others.
Full programmeHighlights from the programme
Sisu / Workshop: Explore Your Identity Through Comics with Mats Kejonen
11 april 1.00–2.00 pm • Swedish-Finnish comic artist Mats Kejonen will give a short introduction to visual storytelling and to exploring identity through comics. Participants will then have the opportunity to create their own comics under Mats’s guidance.
Guided Tour with Finnish Interpretation
11 april 2.00–3.00 pm • We offer a guided tour (in Swedish) with interpretation into Finnish. Join us for a guided tour of the museum’s exhibitions and discover the diversity of watercolour art.
