(It’s not you who are spinning like crazy, it’s the world.)

The work reflects on the longing and examination of the act of seeing through image-making mechanisms and current events while contemplating on the probability of losing connection to the comprehension of realities.

This exhibit unites the work of three Inuit artists from Kinngait, Nunavut. Shuvinai Ashoona’s recent drawings, alongside pieces by Napachie Pootoogook and Samonie Toonoo, reveal a recurring motif: the hand. This tangible symbol extends from the artists’ own creative processes of drawing and sculpting, becoming a conduit for storytelling, preservation, and the creation of new worlds.

Samonie Toonoo’s sculptures capture figures in moments of flux and transformation, blending Inuit folklore, religion, and pop culture in a haunting and alluring synthesis. Crafted from veined serpentinite and adorned with faces intricately carved from polished antler, his figures are suffused with an interplay of light and dark elements. Raised hands and emotional, contorted faces embedded within wandering figures manifest the link between people and spirits.

Napachie Pootogook’s drawings center around storytelling, oral history, and the depiction of personal and communal narratives, with a particular focus on women’s experiences. Her extensive body of work prominently features Inuit spirituality, folklore, clothing, and traditional life. In her final years, she shifted towards autobiographical drawings, documenting memories and real-life community events. This transition transformed her into a local oral historian, preserving stories for future generations. Her art unflinchingly addresses challenging aspects of childhood and everyday life in Kinngait, tackling subjects like abuse, alcoholism, and starvation.

Shuvinai Ashoona’s recent series of five drawings explores childhood themes. Across her artistic repertoire, scenes of daily life, Arctic landscapes, and nature intertwine with pop culture, hybrid creatures, Inuit legends, and folklore. Rich in psychological depth, imaginative intricacies, and expressive qualities, Shuvinai’s works immerse viewers in a realm steeped in personal mythology. The hand symbol emerges subtly throughout, depicting hands carrying boxes and groceries, operating a skidoo, pricked by sewing needles, and even a hand descending from the sky, emitting radiant golden light with multiple Earth-like planets resting on its fingertips. Children gather on the back of a skidoo, sipping milk from bottles, and snuggling close to an enigmatic creature with a lengthy tail ending in two hand-like fins, a solitary antler, and a draped braid of hair over its shoulder.

Hands, the body, and childhood emerge as pivotal motifs, uniting the creative output of these three artists. Their works explore the intricate connection between the physical and spiritual realms, shedding light on both the joys and challenges of everyday life.