Artist's Statement

Uvagut (which means Us in the Inuit language) is an homage to the Inuit people, with whom I shared daily life for two years.

From 1994 to 1996, I lived in various Inuit communities in Nunavut. Life there is organized much the same as in any modern society. However, the Inuit remain very close to nature. Stronger than any other emotion for them is their deep connection to the tundra, the ice floes, and the animals with whom they share the land. This feeling persists even among the young people, who no longer depend solely on hunting as did previous generations. Four thousand years of surviving harsh conditions and intense cold have forged an inseparable bond between the Inuit and their natural surroundings.

This enduring reality is evident in their words and their actions. Through my many encounters with the Inuit people, I was able to experience first-hand the many aspects of their current way of life. These people, who have remained my friends, welcomed me into their homes, fed me and took me hunting, treating me almost as though I were one of them. For many Inuit, hunting remains an essential source of food, and meat is the mainstay of their diet.

Hunting is not a sport or a hobby here; it is necessary to feed your family. Some of the Inuit women use the skins of caribou, seals and polar bears to make the traditional garments that are still so indispensable to protect against the cold. The traditional Inuit garments remain essential for winter expeditions on the ice floes and tundra. It is the women who carry on this ancient art requiring patience and dexterity.
As I observed these men and women, I realized that what fascinated me most in this land were the Inuit people themselves- even more than the landscapes, the cold, or the social problems experienced by Inuit communities. They carried with them their own life experiences and those of their ancestors. Each Inuk expressed the beauty of the whole people and their culture.

— Karim Rholem