This conversation is set amidst Episode 5 of Shezad Dawood’s Leviathan (2017–) film cycle and Qavavau Manumie’s depictions of Arctic wildlife and contemporary Inuit life. The artists address the relationships between their work in discussion with curator Candice Hopkins.
Image Credit: Artist Talk with Shezad Dawood, Qavavau Manumie, and Candice Hopkins, 2019. Photo: Yuula Benivolski.
Bios
Qavavau Manumie (Inuit, born in Brandon, Canada; lives in Kinngait / Cape Dorset, Canada) is an accomplished printmaker who enjoys the opportunity to demonstrate printmaking techniques to young artists and visitors to the studio. His stylistic abilities range from the very literal to the more expressive in idiosyncratic work that is often amusing in its depictions of Inuit legends and mythology, Arctic wildlife and contemporary aspects of Inuit life.
Shezad Dawood (born and lives in London, UK) uses research and collaboration to inform his interdisciplinary work. His key concerns with marine ecology and the ethics of place recur across different projects including Leviathan (2017–): a multi-media work and public program. Both open-source resource and artwork, Leviathan is informed by biologists, oceanographers, and anthropologists to address climate change, migration, and mental health. Dawood’s works have won awards at biennials and film festivals, and his work features in collections including: LACMA, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; and British Museum, London.