Katia's Hand: Inukshuk, by Gerard Kelly
This piece is part of a series of carvings that arose from my exploration of the galleries and museums of Bulgaria. I was directed to this exploration because of my relationship with Katia Iankova. Through my friendship with this lady and the direction she pointed me towards,I learned about a culture that was before just mythical to me.
The primary purpose of an Inukshuk was communication between people. The inukshuk provided information about direction and the right path to follow. It is interesting that humans could use a stack of stone to communicate across time and space.
The inukshuk has today become an icon for a country, and a form of creative outlet for the uninitiated. It has become a craft item found in kitschy stores across Canada. Taken out of its context it has come to represent a human need to be expressive, but it is also a symbol now appropriated and without meaning.
I have tried by naming this piece “Inukshuk” to bring awareness of the true meaning of, and the misappropriation of the form mimicked by so many with no knowledge of the true purpose of the object. The inukshuk might be thought of as mans earliest wireless communication system.
You can watch Gerard in the process of creating this piece in this series of three videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWl8Z3PZkL4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nJSKbfbTW0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPwoqkynehE
Gerard J. Kelly is a sculptor from Newfoundland, Canada. He has been making sculpture for over 25 years, and has exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. Gerard has work in Provincial collections, and municipal international collections. His work has been collected into private collections in Turkey, Greece, USA, and across Canada. Gerard is represented by the Red Ochre Gallery, St. John’s, Newfoundland.
