Northern Lights: Inuit art at Bermuda National Gallery
Date Posted: Thursday, February 07, 2008Author: Christen Pears
Irene Avalaaqiaq, Canadian, Baker lake, b. ca. 1940, Woman Transforming. From the collection of Judith Varney Burch
In Depth categories:
Arts & Entertainment
Latest Articles:
- Raising the standard of childcare
- The changes needed in our education system
- God’s word is a mirror
- Saving energy, saving the environment
- The importance of training our children
- Bermuda’s bike laws - don’t punish responsible riders
- Conscription and the young black male
- Parenting: why court isn’t the answer
- Bermuda 2008: Tourism and Hospitality
- The possibilities and pitfalls of growing up in Bermuda
Search In Depth:
Showing me round her exhibition of Inuit wall hangings, Judith Varney Burch recalls a visit to the Artic when she joined a family on a hunting exhibition. While the husband was ice fishing and the wife gathered arctic willow, Judy climbed a nearby hill.
“When I got to the top I couldn’t see a single living soul and I understood how insignificant we are. I understood what it means when you say ‘life is but a blink of Brahma’s eyelid’,” she says.
Judy is an internationally-recognised expert on Inuit art, lecturing and curating exhibitions around the globe. Her touring exhibition, Culture on Cloth, which features wall hangings from the tiny Inuit community of Baker Lake in Canada, is one of the Winter Exhibitions at the Bermuda National Gallery. It is complemented by an exhibition of sculptures, prints and tapestries from the Dennos Museum Centre at Northwestern Michigan College.
For centuries, the Inuit have carved out a living in the harsh Nunavut territory of Arctic Canada. Living in igloos in winter and caribou skin tents during the brief summer season, they catch fish and hunt mammals. They live in harmony with nature rather than attempt to harness it and it is this passion for their land that is reflected in their artwork.
The women of Baker Lake have a long tradition of embellishing their clothes and the wall hangings developed out of traditional sewing skills. “Every culture sews. It’s a vital need. If a man goes out hunting and the woman can’t sew properly, he will freeze to death,” explains Judy.
Like all Inuit art, the textiles in Judy’s collection have a strong focus on the land and are also a visual representation of a rich oral culture. Hunting scenes, images of caribou and depictions of shamanism are among the diverse subjects.
Judy tells the story of one artist who lived on the Tundra with her grandparents and had no idea any other human beings existed until the age of eight when she saw a hunter. “She was brought up on the oral traditions learned from her grandmother and that’s what she puts down on cloth,” she says.
“I used to say the Inuit were like Stone Age people brought into the Nuclear Age overnight so it’s vital they don’t lose their traditions. It’s about preserving a cultural legacy. Art lasts, it’s very important. Whether it’s fine art or not so fine art, if it’s cherished by people it will last.”
Because of the extreme isolation of their communities, Inuit art did not come to public attention until the mid-20th century. This was due to the work of Canadian artist, author and filmmaker, James Houston, who lived among the Inuit from 1948 to 1962.
Judy's passion for Inuit art began more than 20 years ago when she and her husband bought a house in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia.
“I was brought up in Illinois but I went travelling to Nova Scotia with my parents when I was young and I wanted my children to have the same kind of experience. I wanted them to learn what the real world was like and what it was like to live in a small community where you have to get on with everyone.”
It was while living in Nova Scotia that she discovered Inuit art for the first time and she was captivated. Drawing on her experience as a docent at the Virginia Museum, she began to build a collection and eventually opened a gallery.
“I didn’t know anything about it at first but something just clicked with me, possibly because I was brought up in a small community where it was important to recognise each person as important. That's very similar to Inuit life.”
She maintains close relationships with the artists, visiting the Arctic several times a year and hosting them when they visit her at her home in Virginia. She also acts as a global ambassador for Inuit art and culture through her touring exhibitions. Through contacts at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, she has been invited to show her collection in venues as diverse as Mexico, Japan, China, Mongolia and India.
The response, she says, has been overwhelming. "There is widespread fascination with the Arctic. It was the last eco system to be discovered and I think people find that intriguing – just the idea of Eskimos and the North. Also, we’re very conscious of global warming, which is having such a huge effect.
“People have been fascinated, especially children. When I go back to Baker Lake they’re astounded when they realise how much interest there is in the work their Elders have produced. It’s broken down all kinds of barriers and I’ve made sure the kids send something back by working with Elder artists on hangings about their lives and what’s important to them now.”
For more information about the Winter Exhibitions at Bermuda National Gallery, visit www.bermudanationalgallery.com
Judith Varney Burch’s website is at www.arcticinuitart.com