Inuit Polar Bear — Relief Print

Following my earlier Inuit-inspired owl piece, I created this polar bear as a relief print in 2017. The bear looks up toward the sky with a lonely, echoing cry — perhaps calling out to its companions somewhere far away.

Kenojuak Ashevak’s work has continued to inspire me deeply. Ever since encountering Inuit art at Farmer’s Kitchen Inuitin Himeji, I’ve found myself returning to it again and again, tracing and carving favorite pieces onto old cutting boards or reclaimed wood whenever I come across them. Even though I only create one piece every few years, her artwork always resonates with something inside me, in a way that is hard to explain.

According to English sources about her life, Kenojuak Ashevak was born in an Inuit camp igloo on the southern coast of Baffin Island, in a harsh and unforgiving environment. Her life was marked by hardship and loss, yet she went on to become one of the first Inuit women to produce drawings and prints in Cape Dorset. She created countless drawings, etchings, prints, and soapstone sculptures, transforming suffering into artistic expression.

The more I carve while referencing her work, the more I feel how distant and profound her artistic world truly is. She once said, “I am just concentrating on placing it down on paper in a way that is pleasing to my own eye, whether it has anything to do with subjective reality or not.” That unwavering commitment to creating for oneself — that inner axis — continues to inspire me.