BAIT | APPAT

Couzyn van Heuvelen’s work is a reinterpretation and reimagining of Inuit hunting and fishing implements. The sculptural works draw upon the artist’s relationship to Inuit tradition and land-based material culture and technology. Through his artistic process, the artist manipulates material - aluminum, glass, steel - to elaborate and distinguish the unique aesthetics and creative currency derived from utilitarian objects that define the maker. BAIT is a platform for the artist to further investigate his relationships and lived experience of his culture and identity through rendered artworks related to Inuit survival and sovereignty.

The works in BAIT teases out the language of hunting, innovation and traditional practices through a framework of scale, materials and abstraction that is still uniquely Inuit. Through the presentation of his work, the exhibition addresses issues related to the transitional experiences between north and south, food sovereignty and the binaries of art, craft and function.

BAIT is curated by Ryan Rice. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication that is co-produced by Artspace and the Owens Art Gallery and features writing by Ryan Rice, and Camille Georgeson-Usher and Bryan Winters

The exhibition is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.