Shuvinai Ashoona’s and John Noestheden’s collaborative work John Noestheden: Sky & Shuvinai Ashoona: Earth, is featured at the 18th Biennale of Sydney in Sydney, Australia.
On the surface, John Noestheden and Shuvinai Ashoona represent an unlikely pairing for joint solo shows. Noestheden, who has recently moved from Regina to Hamilton, is widely admired for his crystalline visions of the cosmos. Ashoona, a much sought-after Inuit artist, is the creator of startlingly original images of the land inspired by her Cape Dorset home.
Collaborations can be remarkable in the way that artists from differing cultures see the world through different eyes, and yet are able to overcome their differences to create an integrated work. Both of these artists pay meticulous attention to detail – whether it be Ashoona’s close examination of the local rocky terrain of the Arctic, or Noestheden’s drawings of infinite celestial bodies. Their collaboration resulted in Earth and Sky (2008). Often drawn from an aerial perspective, Ashoona’s landscapes portray the order that humans typically try to impose in an attempt to control the often chaotic and uncontrollable natural environment. Noestheden believes that art and science are interpretive practices, which attempt to represent, model, reveal, explore and discover.
18th Biennale of Sydney
Pier 2/3
Sydney, Australia
June 27 – Sep 16, 2012
Shuvinai Ashoona and John Noestheden Earth and Sky, 2008 printed perforated mesh vinyl, 488 x 3505 cm. Photo courtesy of Illingworth Kerr Gallery and the artists
