Pudlo Pudlat: Above the Limits

Pudlo Pudlat: Above the Limits

March 18, 2021 - February 20, 2022
La Guilde canadienne des métiers d’art
Montreal, QC
Guest curated by Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk Nakasuk Alariaq

Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership partnered with La Guilde to present the exhibition Pudlo Pudlat: Above the Limits.

Pudlat was eloquent and open in the way he spoke about his life, family, and career, drawing, living in outpost camps and eventually settling in Kinngait, though still travelling the world to share his art and perspective. “When I want to draw, it seems like the pencil I'm holding has a mind of its own. Although my hand is holding it, the pencil seems to move by itself.” (Pudlo Pudlat, Inuktitut Magazine 1991:45-46) The semi-permanent exhibition is a collaboration between La Guilde’s team and Nak Alariaq, consultant and Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk, to show Pudlat’s amazing heritage. Included in the exhibition are a few texts that characterize the artist and some aspects of his works (collaboration, technologies, travelling, and animals).

Pudlo Pudlat: Above the Limits is not only about the advancements in Inuit Art made by Pudlat, but also his life as an Inuk man which changed radically mid-career—from hunter to artist. Pudlat’s work is an intimate and first-hand account of his journey travelling across the world. As a practicing Inuk artist who participated in his exhibition openings, Pudlat had a unique relationship with the art world. We wanted his perspective to be at the core of the exhibition. Above the Limits acknowledges Pudlat’s role in disseminating Inuit Art, crossing subject-matter, and pushing the boundaries.

A behind-the-scenes of La Guilde’s Programming and Communications Manager, Genevieve Duval and Cultural Activities Coordinator and Galerie Assistant, Marie-Hélène Naud putting the exhibition together and a quick preview of the space.