• Feature

10 Pieces of Ursine Ephemera

Feb 24, 2020
by Jessica MacDonald

The giant, furry bodies of polar bears pose a frequent, if intimidating, sight on the Arctic tundra. Their danger as the apex land predator of the region in contrast to their paradoxical potential usefulness as a food exerts an almost palpable pull on the senses, making the bear a powerful symbol captured skillfully by Inuit artists working across a wide array of media.

Here, we explore the many uses to which polar bears have been put by Inuit artists, ranging from art material to cultural trope and even as a tool for introspection.

 



GrubenMaureenWaitingForTheShaman

Maureen Gruben
Waiting for the Shaman (2017) Bones from polar bear paws and resin 22” x 1” Courtesy the artist

KasarnakMosesUntitled

Moses Kasarnak
Untitled (n.d.) Embroidery floss and duffel
IAF Archives

TayaraPetaPolarBearContainer

Peta Tayara
Polar Bear Container (n.d.) silver, horn (muskox), ivory, baleen and ink 4 × 3 × 2 in.
Courtesy Spirit Wrestler Gallery

ManumieQavavauWildlifeDocumentary

Qavavau Manumie
Wildlife Documentary (n.d.) Ink, graphite and coloured pencil on paper 20 x 26 in.
Courtesy Madrona Gallery Reproduced with Permission Dorset Fine Arts

Kimmirut1988

Polar bear skin stretching in Kimmirut (Lake Harbour), NU, in 1988
IAF Archives

QauqjuaqGideonPolarBearRing

Gideon Qauqjuaq
Polar Bear Ring (n.d.) Ivory 1 × 1 × 0.25 in.
Courtesy Spirit Wrestler Gallery

NunatsiavutArtistPolarBearHandkerchief

Unidentified Artist
Embroidered handkerchief with polar bear (n.d.) Cotton on Cotton
Courtesy the Peary-Macmillan Arctic Museum, Bowdoin College

SamayualiePadlooUntitled(TundraRock)

Padloo Samayualie
Untitled (Tundra Rock!) (n.d.) Graphite and coloured pencil, 20 x 26 in.
Courtesy Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Reproduced with Permission Dorset Fine Arts

HankCarlBaleenBasket

Cark Hank
Baleen Basket (with Polar Bear Cub Finial) (n.d.) Baleen and fossilized ivory 2 × 2 × 2 in.
Courtesy Spirit Wrestler Gallery