Introducing the 2025 Artica Svalbard Nominees Selected by the Queen Sonja Print Award
left: Tomas Colbengtson, photo: Elisabeth Ohlson. right: Nicole Cecilia Delgado and Amanda Hernández, photo: Joelly Rodríguez
We are delighted to announce the nominees for Artica Svalbard residencies in 2025, selected by The Queen Sonja Print Award (QSPA). The nominees are Sami artist Tomas Colbengtson and Puerto Rican duo Nicole Cecilia Delgado and Amanda Hernández, who collaborate as LA IMPRESORA. This year’s nominees explore themes of identity, place, and environmental relationships in their practices.
Tomas Colbengtson, winner of the 2024 Queen Sonja Print Award, is a Sami artist whose work examines the impact of colonialism on indigenous communities, with a particular focus on the Sami people. Born in Björkvattnet, Colbengtson’s art draws on Sami history and collective memory. His printmaking often employs materials that cast shadows, reflecting themes of visibility, loss, and resilience within indigenous cultures.
Colbengtson is a lecturer and curator who co-founded the Sámi artist residency Sapmi Salasta and co-curates the touring exhibition Arctic Highways, which highlights indigenous perspectives across North America and Europe. His works are part of several prominent collections, including the British Museum in London, the National Museum in Oslo, and the Sami Parliament of Norway.
During his Artica Svalbard residency, Colbengtson will focus on observing the environment and community of Svalbard. He plans to study the local reindeer population, incorporating these observations into his ongoing exploration of Sami identity and environmental relationships. His work continues to contribute to global discussions on indigenous heritage and its intersection with contemporary art practices.
LA IMPRESORA is an artist-led studio based in Puerto Rico, founded and directed by poets Nicole Cecilia Delgado and Amanda Hernández. Their practice combines writing, printmaking, and independent publishing to explore themes of identity, place, and environmental interconnections, often through the lens of ecofeminism and land art.
The duo specialises in Risograph printing, a sustainable, analog printmaking technique, and has gained recognition for their small-scale editorial work and commitment to traditional publishing and bookbinding methods. Together, they run La Impresora as a space for collaboration, creativity, and the promotion of independent voices, producing poetry and art that reflect the unique cultural and environmental narratives of the Caribbean.
During their Artica Svalbard residency, Delgado and Hernández will engage with Svalbard’s unique environment to expand their creative practices, drawing connections between island ecosystems in the Caribbean and the Arctic. They plan to work on individual poetry projects and explore analog printmaking techniques that complement their focus on Risograph printing. Additionally, they hope to contribute to the local community by hosting a bilingual poetry reading and facilitating workshops.
As noted by the QSPA selection jury, “This year's Artica Svalbard nominees demonstrate an exceptional ability to use printmaking as a medium for exploring identity, place, and resilience while amplifying underrepresented voices. Their practices engage with cultural memory, environmental relationships, and the intersections of art, history, and community, fostering meaningful dialogue on belonging and stewardship. Svalbard’s transient and international community, along with its unique position as a meeting point for global and local narratives, offers the artists opportunities to deepen their understanding of shared cultural connections and explore new dimensions in their work.”
Artica Svalbard looks forward to welcoming the nominees in 2025 and supporting their work during their residencies.