Event

Climate change is having a profound impact on global ecosystems, and is most dramatically evident in northern landscapes and communities. In the face of these challenges, Inuit knowledge and community-building are increasingly at risk, making it essential to adopt a variety of approaches, in combination with Inuit and settler collaboration.

Dark Ice demonstrates the intersections between the unique artistic, studio, and land-based practices of Leslie Reid of Ottawa, ON, and Robert Kautuk of Kangiqtugaapik (Clyde River), NU. Alongside critical curatorial work, the exhibition features photographs, paintings and videos of Arctic land and ice, and of communities and their experiences.

Reid is an established painter and photographer who has travelled extensively and conducted in-depth research in the Arctic through the Canadian Forces Artists Program and the Canada C3 expedition. In retracing her father’s Royal Canadian Air Force mapping flights, undertaken in the early years of the Cold War, she became increasingly aware of the impact of colonialism on the North.

Kautuk mobilizes drone technology to capture aerial photographs and videos of his community. He works at the Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre, and is a driving force behind the Clyde River Knowledge Atlas, a digital platform that documents and records traditional knowledge, while also encouraging community and Inuit-led research.

Together, these two artists create meaningful research and visualizations that foster diversified perspectives around climate change. Kautuk and Reid’s collaboration combines their experiences to develop a dialogue that maps the Arctic and offers a promising path forward in the face of global warming.