Mercurio Events

Spirit Hunters: Inuit Art from Canada's Arctic
HELD OVER to Sept 11

Gallery Hours During Inuit Show: 10:30-5:30 Tues-Wed ~ 10:30-8:00 Thurs - Sat

Soulful and playful, simple and sophisticated, austere and sensual; art on a human scale from the Canadian Arctic - an exhibition of Inuit sculpture and prints, vintage and contemporary.
This art is made with a deep spiritual commitment in a world of scarcity,
a mix of the traditional and the contemporary: shaped over the last half century out of ancient sources by a sometimes controversial encouragement from the South. The introduction of various new media such as lithography and silkscreen printing produced a brand new, vibrant outlet for the vision of Inuit artists.
We see a quantum leap forward in sophistication in the work of (relatively) newer artists such as George Arlook, which yet does not sever the direct connection with the visions of past carvers.
Portable, personal, the sculptural pieces are especially suited for those with compact living spaces, and mobile lives.
This exhibition includes pieces from the Inuit carving collection donated to the St. Margaret's School for Girls (Victoria) by Yvonne Snyder Elliman, a resident of New York. The collection belonged to her mother, Mrs. Kay Snyder (nee Kathleen Watt) who attended
St. Margaret's from 1915 to 1923, and consists
mostly of pieces from the 1960's