Marja Helander. Dolastallat (To have a campfire), 2016. Video still courtesy of the artist.

Marja Helander. Dolastallat (To have a campfire), 2016. Video still courtesy of the artist.

Exhibit features contemporary art by Indigenous artists from around the circumpolar world

Campbell River Art Gallery exhibiting Among All These Tundras

Among All These Tundras is a touring exhibition of 12 indigenous artists from the circumpolar world.

The Campbell River and District Art Gallery (CRAG) is the only touring venue in BC for this unique show exploring current Arctic concerns towards land, language, sovereignty and resurgence.

The exhibition runs from Jan. 16 to March 18 in the Main Gallery.

Among All These Tundras is a title taken from the poem ‘My Home Is in My Heart’ by writer Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, and is co-curated by Dr. Heather Igloliorte, University Research Chair in Circumpolar Indigenous Arts at Concordia University, alongside Amy Prouty and Charissa von Harringa.

The exhibition draws together a diverse range of artistic practices including film, video, photography, sculpture, installation, performance, and mixed media.

As described by the co-curators, “The artworks presented in Among All These Tundras invite viewers to contemplate relationships between textual and embodied Indigenous knowledge, humour and resilience, sovereignty and self-determination, and the collective responsibility to Arctic life and land.”

They go on to explain, “Each circumpolar region and people represented has its own unique history of colonization and separate cultural, linguistic, and geographic attributes; yet they are joined together in a shared fight for autonomy and self-determination, and in love for their homelands.”

The CRAG has lined up some exciting programming around the exhibition including a book club for youth and adults, “Sanaaq: An Inuit Novel” by Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk by, a guided tour by co-curator Dr. Igloriorte, a powerful two-part performance by Allison Akootchook Warden as well as interpretive tours by the CRAG’s own Jenelle Pasiechnik.

Join a memorable Opening Reception reception Jan. 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A cash bar will be available and there will be light refreshments served. Everyone is invited to this free event. Generous exhibition sponsorship by Boston Pizza.

For more information, contact the CRAG at 250-287-2261, email director@crartgallery.ca or visit www.crartgallery.ca

Campbell River Mirror