Aqjangajuk Shaa

Canadian

(b. 1937)

Hunter Carrying a Caribou 1985

green serpentinite, antler

108.5 x 47 x 26.7 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from Inuit Art sales

Aqjangajuk  Shaa has been one of Cape Dorset’s leading sculptors since the 1960s. Born at Satuqitu camp on south Baffin Island in 1937, he has been carving for over fifty years. He has been in numerous exhibitions, both solo and group, from 1970 to the present, in Canada, the U.S., and Germany. In 2003 Shaa was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. His hunters, drum dancers, polar bears, caribou, walruses, and birds are presented as energetic and sometimes even heroic figures. The exaggerated quality of his imagery is characterized by mannered poses that still retain a fine sense of balance. This depiction of a hunter carrying a captured caribou is a good example of his aesthetic. The strength and stamina of the hunter is impressive, as he carries a large bull caribou which, strangely, seems to be still alive. It is as though the caribou, even in death, is struggling heroically to defeat its captor.

 

Kye-Yeon Son

Korean/Canadian (born in South Korea)

(b. 1957)

Embracing 2011–2012

steel, enamel

42 x 42 x 23 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from the Winnipeg Rh Foundation Inc. and with funds from the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance program/Oeuvre achetée avec l’aide du programme d’aide aux acquisitions du Conseil des Arts du Canada

At the heart of Kye-Yeon Son’s practice is the concept of containment. Rooted in traditional utilitarian principles, her works serve as receptacles of spirits and memories. The titles of her work often allude to emotions and sensations. Indeed, she aims to synthesize the character of the metal with these very feelings. Her sculptures convey a lightness and elegance worthy of close inspection and quiet reflection. This particular piece relies on the essential simplicity of wire to interpret the complexity of the human experience. Soldered together in a network of interdependent constituents, Embracing 2011-2 is a quiet, poetic form which conveys the flexibility and adaptability of nature, the lightness and ethereal quality of core energy, and the fragile yet enduring strength of the spirit.

Kye-Yeon Son was born in South Korea, receiving her BFA from the Seoul National University in 1979 and her MFA from Indiana University, USA, in 1984. Her work has appeared in numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally, including Precise: Craft Refined at the WAG in 2011. She holds the position of Professor at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, in the Jewelry department.
 

Gabor Szilasi

Canadian (born in Hungary)

(b. 1928)

Mme. Perron’s mobile home, Les Eboulements, Charlevoix 1976

chromogenic print on paper

28 x 35.6 cm Image: 27.6 x 34.4 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Peter Tittenberger

Taken in 1970’s rural Quebec, this photograph is an example of Gabor Szilasi’s fascination with domestic interiors. He said: “My subjects in photography really deal with everyday life, mostly with people and their environment”. It can be said that a photograph of a home provides a portrait of its owner. Object arrangement, decoration and colour reveal the personality of the occupant and the quirks that make them unique. Szilasi’s upbringing in Hungary also provides an ‘outsider’s’ view, and a form of social documentation. He allows the viewer access to a private and informal space without exploiting it. This photograph prompts reflection on what our personal spaces say about us.

 

William Eakin

Canadian

(b. 1952)

Untitled (Baker Lake) from the series Baker Lake, 1983

silver print on paper

20.3 x 25.5 cm Image: 17.8 x 23.8 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Peter Dyck

During the early eighties William Eakin lived and worked in Baker Lake, Nunavut. The isolated location was home to several Inuit communities whom Eakin photographed in his Baker Lake series. The people in this photograph are newlyweds James and Winnie Ikinilik, Barney Ututuva, Ruth Ikinilik and her daughter. Family, community and celebration are honoured. The photographs serve to some extent as documentation and social commentary. More importantly, they illustrate the relationships built during his time in Baker Lake, presenting a humanist element and a genuine fondness for his subjects. This element is one which prevails throughout Eakin’s work.

 

Shari Hatt

Canadian

Black Dogs: Series Two 2001–2003

colour print on paper, A/P

40.5 x 40.5 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of the artist

Shari Hatt’s work is concerned with kitsch pop icons and animals of all shapes and sizes. Black Dogs: Series Two presents sixteen close-range studio portraits of various canine breeds. They all display the same markings, but the viewer is invited to observe different forms, sumptuous textures and colours; velvet coats and glossy eyes, hues of tan, black and pink tongues. They reveal the dogs’ personality and individuality, but also reflect imagined – and culturally influenced - characteristics invented by the viewer. The artist states: “For me this black work is sensual and painterly and sinister and dramatic, sublime, etc., yet it is also campy and funny (if you knew the process) and the inspiration is my love of black velvet paintings.”

 

Joanne Jackson Johnson

Canadian

(b. 1943)

Kangirsuk (Payne Bay), Nunavik (QC) May 1982 1982

chromogenic print on paper

50.7 x 40.6 cm Image: 35.2 x 35.5 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Peter Dyck

In 1982, Joanne Jackson Johnson accompanied the Manitoba Puppet Theatre on a tour of the Ungava region in Quebec. Kangirsuk is an Inuit village with limited accessibility (primarily only by air), and home to a small community. This work depicts the village nestled within the region’s rocky and snowy terrain, providing a mountainous backdrop of impressive beauty. The dominant mountain reminds the viewer of the village’s ever-present isolation. However, this is an unromanticized view of Kangirsuk’s remoteness. Inhabitants are pictured amongst their homes engaged in daily activities, children race bikes and play: Life has been established and goes on. Despite the pragmatic eye, the scene is aesthetically pleasing, displaying a harmony of muted colours and composition. The tiny figures are emotive and intimate, bringing warmth to the cold.