Reviewed by Kevin Griffin
Works by Indigenous artist from the North who mix and match traditional materials and approaches with contemporary ideas are being showcased until early August at an artist-run gallery in east Vancouver.
Although the group exhibition is a small one that focuses on the work of four artists, the exhibition is innovation in its reframing of art produced by the Inuit. Traditionally, works by artists from the north are shown in private galleries, where the focus is on selling work for the market. The exhibition at the publicly funded grunt gallery is shifting and expanding that focus to present work that pushes the boundaries of Inuit art.
Curator Tania Willard said in an interview she had the idea for the exhibition more than two years ago when she saw the work of Jamasee Pitseolak, an Inuit artist who uses traditional stone to carve contemporary objects, such as miniature ping-pong tables, bullets and handguns. In addition to the grunt exhibition, Pitseolak has work in an exhibition called Changing Hands at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
