Inuit art, past & present

Page 30

Inuit Art: An Introduction

By Ingo Hessel

Photography by Dieter Hessel

Douglas & McIntyre

198 pages (sc)

$45

From a tiny ivory maskette carved by the Arctic's ancient inhabitants, to contemporary works created using both traditional and non-traditional styles and mediums, Inuit Art: An Introduction uses a mix of text and photographs to bring to the reader thousands of years of art, blanketed in the historical, cultural and societal contexts that helped form it.

While many factors have influenced the art created by the people of the Arctic, the largest of these, it can be argued, was contact with European newcomers to the area-missionaries, explorers, and traders-beginning in the late 1700s.

The book looks at the effects of this contact, which brought about a shift from Inuit artists creating items for themselves to creating them for a new and growing southern market.

Production of Inuit art today is no longer so bound to the whims of the southern outsiders, but Inuit artists are still well aware that, while they have more creative freedom than the artists that went before them, they still have to create works that appeal to the southern market if they intend to make a living with their craft.

The book dedicates most of its attention to contemporary Inuit art, looking at the various mediums being used by today's artists, as well as the themes and subjects that dominate their work-animals, the supernatural, illustrating myths and legends, the family, or scenes from everyday life.

The predominant styles of sculpture in the different areas of the Arctic are also examined, as are the work of some of the new breed of Inuit sculptor, who are finding their own balance between Inuit tradition and southern influence.

While the main focus of the book is on sculpture, mainly because that is the format most often chosen by Inuit artists, both graphic arts (drawing, printmaking and painting) and textile arts (weaving and sewing) are also examined.

The book has something to offer anyone with an interest in Inuit art. Those already familiar with the subject will find in the book a wonderful collection of photographs and reproductions of Inuit art from a variety of regions and time periods, and in a number of medium, formats and styles. And for those with little or no knowledge about the subject of Inuit art? This book can definitely change that.