Kinngait carver Koomuatuk Sapa Curley exhibits work in Montreal

Kinngait artist Koomuatuk Sapa Curley’s new body of work explores the Inuit understanding of animism — the belief that all natural things have a soul or spiritual essence — through lifelike carvings.

Curley arrived at the opening of his art exhibition Jan. 29 at La Guilde gallery in Montreal by pulling the final touches of his project — walrus tusks and a flying owl — out of his pockets.

When those were in place, the event was ready to begin.

One of Koomuatuk Sapa Curley’s sculptures, a polar bear pointing its nose to the sky, is focused on animal movement. (Photo by Cedric Gallant, special to Nunatsiaq News)

“I feel privileged to be part of an exhibition opening,” he said in an interview.

The now Ottawa-based artist called his exhibition Animism Today to shine light on the Inuit cultural relationship of respect between nature and animals.

Curley displays a unique style of carving in this exhibition, showing the animals in movement. A white owl is mid-flight, vertical to its base, making a tight turn. A polar bear stands on a rock, sniffing the air for food.

“I had to work hard to make my piece feel like there is movement, they become more alive,” he said.

Curley said he spent time watching these animals when he was growing up. And he learned from his grandparents, Qaaqa Ashoona and Mayoreak Ashoona, who were also carvers.

“I wanted to be like my grandfather, so that is something that I am doing today,” Curley said.

“I enjoy carving a lot,” he added, while acknowledging it can be challenging to be a full-time artist and keep up with demand.

The white animals inspired him most when he was on the land — polar bears, the beluga, seagulls, and owls.

Now that he is living in Ottawa, Curley has access to stones like Italian alabaster, a creamy white and translucent rock he used for his polar bear and owl sculptures. He gets his rocks from a stone supplier close to Cornwall, Ont.

“He has stones from all over the world, but I often pick the white stone to represent the white animals,” Curley said.

He is sharing the gallery floor with N.W.T. sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun, who died on Jan. 22.

Curley said he takes a lot of inspiration from Piqtoukun’s art, a similar feeling he finds when he visits museums where his grandfather’s pieces are displayed. Even if they are not alive anymore, “they live on,” he said.

“My art pieces will live one when I am gone, like my grandfather’s pieces.”

Animism Today is set to be on display until March 7.