Cape Dorset Sculpture

Kerry Abel is a professor of history at Carleton University. She is the author of Drum Songs: Glimpses of Dene History, co-editor of Aboriginal Resource Use in Canada: Historical and Legal Aspects, and co-editor of Northern Visions: New Perspectives on the North in Canadian History.

After many years of an exciting presence in the international market,
Inuit art seems to have settled into rather quieter days recently. This
beautifully produced book reminds us that work goes on. It offers a
collection of sculptures (and a few prints) from four generations of
living Cape Dorset artists. Two brief essays introduce the collection,
one by the long-time manager of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative
(Terry Ryan) and one by the Vancouver gallery owners who put the book
together. There are biographical notes on each of the 44 artists
represented and a short bibliography. Standard catalogue annotations
identify the sculptures, and most artists have provided a brief comment
on some significant aspect of their work.

The sculptures themselves are the most striking component of the book;
full credit must be given to the outstanding work of photographer Kenji
Nagai, who succeeds in capturing the three dimensions of sculpture in
the light and shadow of two-dimensional images. It is also noteworthy
that pieces depicting modern life with its snowmobiles, ATVs, and other
paraphernalia are included—such images were once deemed not to be
“authentic” and removed from the promoted collections. Indeed, in
their introductory essay, the two authors are refreshingly honest about
the practical attitudes of Inuit artists toward the economic aspects of
artistic work. The presentation is also noteworthy for the authors’
interest in individual artists. Gone are the days when Inuit art was
offered to the public as a striking but anonymous and generalized
cultural production. The book represents a new generation of both
artists and promoters.

There are some minor shortcomings. The introduction severely
oversimplifies the historical process by which the Canadian Inuit
settled in villages in the mid-20th century. The biographies of the
artists are rather spare, considering that the authors want us to
understand them as individuals; some list no more than a date and the
names of other artists in the family. And there is no explanation of
where the sculptures are held, leaving one with the nagging suspicion
that the book is really a promotional device. Nevertheless, it is a
beautiful presentation with an interesting perspective on Cape Dorset
art.