White | Qaqortoq | ᖃᑯᖅᑐᖅ

August 8 – September 14
Opening Event on August 7, 6 – 8 PM

White is the colour most often associated with the Arctic in the popular imagination. White is the colour of snow and ice. It’s also the colour of many of the animals that have adapted to the region’s environment: polar bears, belugas, Arctic foxes, Ptarmigans and snowy owls are all white or predominantly white in colour. Of course, this perception of a colourless all-white universe has at times functioned as a limiting stereotype, for the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions can also be places of vibrant colour, especially in the summer months when lichens and other forms of growth flower forth and long sunsets blaze orange or red on the distant horizon. Even in the darker months, the Aurora Borealis light up the sky with an orchestration of shimmering colours that include greens, purples, blues, and pinks. Nevertheless, the experience and perception of white is an important feature of the northern world, conditioning consciousness and ways of perceiving.

In the modern era, Inuit artists have embraced the expressive power and properties of white, or qaqortoq, producing works in a variety of organic and non-organic media in which white is the prevailing colour or tone, contributing their own unique narrative to the history of the monochrome. Opening August 8, our summer exhibition celebrates this important facet of Inuit artistic expression, featuring a cross section of works executed in a diverse range of contemporary media and forms. Bringing together over 40 works in both sculptural and graphic media by 27 artists, White | Qaqortoq | ᖃᑯᖅᑐᖅ will transform the gallery into an ethereal monochrome world of energy, light and contemplation.

The exhibition includes works by Latcholassie Akesuk, Tony Anughalluq, Luke Anowtalik, Mayoreak Ashoona, Shuvinai Ashoona, Crow, Ishuhungituk Etungat, Janet Kigusiuq, Lindsay McIntyre, Qavavau Manumie, Martha Neeveacheak, Oomeemungnak, John Pangnark, David Piungituq, Nick Sikkuark, Jutai Toonoo, Mark Tungilik, Thomas Udjuk, and others.