Barry Pottle

Artist Spotlight: An Ottawa-based artist from Rigolet reflects on Urban Inuit identity.

Nän / Nün ch’i cha jų̃ kwa’ch’e Dän däw Kwenjè
A photograph shows a close-up view of a Qulliq (oil lamp) being lit. The half-moon shape of the lamp rests in an aluminum foil base, and three small flames are alight inside the vessel.
Dazhän akàndür dänkwänji ke shų nenàdhàt.
Author
Photography by

Barry Pottle is an Inuk artist from Nunatsiavut in Labrador (Rigolet), now living in Ottawa, Ontario. He has worked with the Indigenous arts community for many years, particularly in the city of Ottawa. Barry has always been interested in photography as a medium of artistic expression and as a way of exploring the world around him. Living in Ottawa, which has the largest urban population of Inuit outside of the North, Barry has been able to stay connected to the greater Inuit community.

Through the camera’s lens, Barry showcases the uniqueness of this community. Whether it is at a cultural gathering, family outings or in the solitude of nature that photography allows, he captures the essence of Inuit life in Ottawa. From a regional perspective, living in the nation’s capital allows him to travel throughout the valley and beyond to explore and photograph people, places and events.

He believes that the concept of Urban Inuit is relatively new and for the most part unexplored (compared to other Urban Indigenous groups in Canada) so as an artist, he seeks to articulate this. “The camera,” he shares, “allows me to explore connection and continuity with my heritage and culture especially with regards to the contemporary reality of being an Urban Inuk.”

Alongside the selection of images below, Pottle describes some of his intentions and motivations as a photographer:

A photograph shows green sleeves with rick rack trim and a pair of hands using an ulu (curved knife) to slice into a piece of blubber.
Barry Pottle, Urban Inuit: Starting the Feast (Inuit Day, Ottawa) (2015). COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.
A photograph shows a close-up view of a Qulliq (oil lamp) being lit. The half-moon shape of the lamp rests in an aluminum foil base, and three small flames are alight inside the vessel.
Barry Pottle, Urban Inuit: Lighting the Qulliq (2015). COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

The artworks selected for the Urban Inuit installation is a compilation of works that reflect Urban Inuit iconography.

My goal is to explore my community (very robust Inuit community) and to highlight its richness and vibrancy.

A colour photograph of an inuksuk outfitted with a red bandana as a face covering and blue medical gloves.
Barry Pottle, Microcosm Project: My COVID Diaries (2020). COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

In the Summer of 2020, I participated in the City of Ottawa’s Public Art project Microcosm. My Covid Visual Diary is ongoing and as I continue to travel in Ward 9 and beyond, there is an everyday reminder to be safe, supportive and compassionate. Through community efforts and societal acceptance, we will get back.

A close-up view of an upward-pointing triangle set into pavement, with stones, seeds, grass, and other debris of urban life caught in the cracks.
Barry Pottle, Syllabics Series (2017–ongoing). COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

This work represents a larger project I have been exploring that is based on the older Inuktitut syllabic writing system. It is about how these syllabics can be found and interpreted by me (artistically) in my surroundings and in and around mainstream society.

A close-up view of two hands adorned with bracelets and rings using an ulu to slice a large piece of meat.
Barry Pottle, Foodland Security: Cutting Tuktu (Caribou) (2012). COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NUNATSIAVUT GOVERNMENT.

Once in urban centers, Inuit experience a great shift in diet from traditional or country food to store-bought, processed foods. My plan in setting out to do this project was—first and foremost—an art project as I strive to bring awareness and justice to what I call contemporary Urban Inuit photography.

 

This story is part of the Nunatsiavut Spotlight. View more content from the Spotlight here.

Article Tags

Canada | Nunatsiavut (Newfoundland and Labrador) | Community | dákwändǖr | Indigenous | Institutions | Inuit | dákwänjē | Visual Arts
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