Inuit artists connect with the land

An Indigenous art exhibit touches on the importance of going outdoors and embracing connection.

Justin Nolan
Kicker

Stephanie Brant never used to consider herself an artist.

From a young age, Brant has used her skills and knowledge of the land to create apparel and accessories from materials such as sealskin and caribou antler. She says making these items has always been a way for her to connect with both the land and her culture.

She says she never really saw the artistic value in her creations until she was approached by Eastern Edge Gallery to take part in their exhibit.

AtaKatigejut (Intertwined) is an art exhibit featuring Inuit artists meant to celebrate the interconnections between land, people and wildlife.

The exhibit will run at Eastern Edge until Dec. 14. It operated in coordination with the Spirit Song Festival — an annual celebration of Indigenous arts and culture that ran for five days beginning Nov.19.

Brant is one of four Inuit artists featured by the gallery. It was a new experience for Brant and artists Juliette Onalik and Shannon Case — for all of them, it was their first time exhibiting their art. Rounding out the lineup is veteran artist Billy Gauthier, whose work AtaKatigejut is the exhibit’s namesake.

On Nov. 20, the four artists gathered at the exhibit to promote their art and discuss what it means to be connected to the land.

“All of my art has a connection to somewhere or someone,” said Brant.

She says those connections have become only more important to her as she has continued to navigate through life.

She grew up in Nain and moved to North West River in her teen years. Later, she left the Big Land to come to St. John’s, where she now resides.

She says she felt a disconnect when coming to St. John’s, both when it came to adapting to city life and getting used to a different land. There was also a longing for home.

To overcome these feelings, Brant says she connected with the new land she inhabited by incorporating materials native to it — such as moose antler — into her creations.

“Inuk ways are about finding ways to adapt,” said Brant. “I found it was paramount for me to connect with the city and find a way of incorporating my ways of life into the ways of city and kind of melding them together in the best ways possible.”

She says engaging with her art in this way not only helped her settle into her surroundings but also kept her connected to the Knowledge Keepers responsible for teaching her the skills she uses in her art today.

She says she wants to use the Spirit Song Festival as an opportunity to further pass along those skills.

“Those of us that have had the privilege to obtain that knowledge, it’s definitely important for us to share that and make sure all of our cousins have the opportunity to come and avail of it,” said Brant.

Sharing knowledge and love for the land has also been a longstanding focus of Inuk artist Billy Gauthier, who has been sculpting since 1996.

He creates mixed media sculptures with materials sourced directly from the land, such as bone, serpentinite, marble and caribou antler and sinew.

Gauthier is responsible for the name of the exhibit. He says he chose the title to match the art on display, which communicates the inherent interconnectedness between people and the land.

He says back in his home of North West River, making art is what truly led to him fostering that connection.

“I never knew it was going to take me to the places that it took me, I never knew how much it was going to make me fall in love with my culture and how much that was going to change my artwork and me,” said Gauthier.

He says as he gained notoriety for his art, he felt an ever-growing sense of duty and responsibility. 

“Art is a gun,” said Gauthier. “At the start, it’s like a Nerf gun. It’s really not making a lot of effect, so it’s okay to play around with it. But the truth is, the more you get exposure, the more people pay attention, the more powerful that gun becomes.” 

“I truly believe the bigger the voice you have, the more powerful it is and the more you better take good aim.” 

Gauthier says the target of his “gun” is climate change and other environmental issues. He says encouraging people to get out and fall in love with the land they inhabit is the best way to make people care. 

For Gauthier, nothing else could be more important. 

“Every single year that I’m on the ice in the spring, I’m scared to death that it’s going to be my last,” he said. 

Thinning ice as a result of climate change has been a longstanding issue for Inuit throughout Labrador. Strong winds and warming temperatures have in some cases transformed once safe travel routes and hunting grounds into potentially deadly landscapes. 

Gauthier hopes that by putting his best voice forward through his art he can inspire the change he wants to see. 

“You’re never going to love what you don’t know about, so get out on the land and learn,” said Gauthier. 

“Everything speaks. And everyone needs to listen.”