April 11 to May 31
Zilberschmuck Gallery, Toronto, ON
Naomi's submission was accepted and featured. Below was the accompanying statement.
"Inuk-Took”
The notion of taking a quintessential Canadian icon – the Inuksuk, a traditional tool used by the Inuit people of the high Arctic, then proceeding to transform it into something which resembles a tourist trinket manufactured offshore, speaks to the shift from handmade to mass produced; in particular, offerings for the tourism market fashioned after cultural emblems. On that note, this piece also represents the deviation of cultural misappropriation, a transformation of genuine articles into tacky machine fabricated knock-offs. Symbols of meaning and import to specific tribal and/or geographical groups are too often and too quickly misused in the name of trend or fashion; without consideration for the people it (often poorly) represents. Is imitation truly the best form of flattery?
The decision to make the pendant and chain appear commercially fabricated highlights the contrast between details achieved through handcrafted process and the cookie-cutter quality of assembly line produced objects.
