Nipirasait

There is a very sweet exhibition at the Embassy of Canada just now, called Nipirasait: Many Voices. It is Inuit prints from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. I'm a huge fan of Inuit art, so this was not to be missed.

Now I don't have a font for Inuktitut, the language spoken by the Inuit peoples of Nunavut, but I loved how they worked to incorporate the language in script in the artist names and quotes on the gallery walls. For such a small exhibition -- just 36 prints -- it was really remarkable.

Printmaking in Cape Dorset apparently is a communal affair, and many people benefit from the sale of the prints. One thing I found extraordinary -- the sponsor of this exhibition, St. Lawrence University in New York, is one of two institutions (with the Canadian Museum of Civilization) to acquire all 36 prints by the ten artists, and they had issue 49/50 of each print displayed here. Yes, I notice odd things like that.

In any case, here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!


This photo, Inuksuk at Aupalaqtuq Point, is by Alison Wright. I like it because while many people know what Inuksuk are and can recognize the figures, they seldom see them in their proper context, which originally were as landscape markers and wayfinding mechanisms.


Above, Mayoreak Ashoon's Tuulirjuaq (Great Big Loon) while below, Ningeokuluk Teevee's Ptarmigan's Arrival. I love the birds in Inuit art -- they are so richly portrayed, and with what appear to be strong personality-characteristics.



Above, Ohotaq Mikkigak's Face to Face, and below, Kenojuak Ashevak's Grand Dame. Polar bears are also prevalent in Inuit Art, and I liked the observation angle on this one. Finally, an owl. Owls are very difficult for some Native cultures, but they are very common in Inuit art. (I think four different artists had owls in their prints in this exhibition.) After my own very personal encounter with that owl in Hawai'i, I have a real affinity for them.



And this Bill Reid sculpture graces the outside of the Embassy. It's not visible from the street, being up a flight of stairs and toward the back of the central courtyard, but it is in a water feature and it captures my attention every time.