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Mosesie Kolola

Biography

Mosesie Kolola was a Kimmirut, NU-based artist who created scenes of camp life, birds and animals throughout his art practice and imagery. Kolola and his wife, crafts artist and carver Ningiugapik (1937-1985), also lived in Iqaluit [1], NU with their five children who also became artists [2].

Kolola’s carvings in serpentinite stone and bone vary in scale, characterized by their fine polish. Depicting hunters with tools, women at work and animals at play showcasing the diversity of Kolola’s artistic practice. In Camp Scene (1973), Kolola carves a camp with a many figures, four human, three animal, two igloos, and one qamutiik (dogsled). One igloo can be opened to reveal an interior scene of two figures kneeling within, keeping warm by a qulliq, a traditional oil lamp, with an ulu, a woman’s knife, resting by a drying rack. The human figures outdoors are in motion, in a flurry of activity.

Mosesie Kolola was a prolific carver, his work appeared in many influential exhibitions about Inuit art, including Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art which travelled across Canada from 1983-1985. Kolola was an active member of his community, and was elected to the Board of Directors of Canadian Arctic Producers Co-operatives Ltd. in 1974 and 1978 [3]. His work is held in numerous public collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Canadian Museum of History.



This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Prolifique sculpteur sur pierre et ivoire, Mosesie Kolola est connu pour le caractère complexe des scènes de campement et des représentations de la vie sur le territoire, qui sont des reflets de sa propre enfance. Ses œuvres ont été montrées dans de nombreuses expositions phares au Canada, notamment Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, qui a été présentée en 1983 au Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario et qui a fait le tour du pays pendant deux ans. Ses sculptures sur pierre, notamment Winter Camp (v. 1960-1969), se démarquent par un fini très brillant et lisse, des contours doux et des courbes ondulantes. Il est connu également pour ses défenses de morse soigneusement ciselées, qui évoquent des êtres humains et des animaux de l’Arctique. En plus de travailler comme artiste, Mosesie Kolola a joué un rôle actif d’administrateur et de dirigeant artistique et a été élu au conseil d’administration de la Canadian Arctic Producers Co-operative Ltd. à deux reprises, soit en 1974 et en 1978. Ses œuvres font partie de nombreuses collections publiques, dont celles du Musée des beaux-arts du Canada et du Musée canadien de l’histoire.
ᐃᓱᒪᒃᓴᖅᓯᐅᖅᑎ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑑᒑᓂᑦ, ᒧᓯᓯ ᑯᓘᓚ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖅ ᓄᓇᒥ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᔭᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᒻᒥᓄᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᓴᖅᓯᐅᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᔅᓴᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᒪᓕᒃᑐᓂᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ, ᐃᓚᒋᓗᒍ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᓴᙱᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᓂᑕᕐᓂᑦ: ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᒃᓚᒧᕐ ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᔫᒥ 1983−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᓄᑦ. ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᖕᓂᑦ ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐅᑭᐅᒥ ᑕᒻᒫᕐᕕᒃ (ᐃᒻᒪᖄ 1960-1969) ᐃᓕᑕᕐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᙱᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᐊᒃᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒪᓐᓇᕆᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐱᐊᓂᒃᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ, ᓯᓈᖏᑦ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᖑᖓᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓗᑐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᐊᐃᕕᐅᑉ ᑑᒑᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐆᒪᔪᓂᑦ. ᐃᓚᒋᐊᖅᑐᒍ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ, ᑯᓘᓚ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᒪᕐᕈᐃᖅᑐᒍ ᑲᑎᒪᔨ ᑲᓇᑕ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑯᐊᑉᓄᑦ, ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅ 1974−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐃᑉᐸᖓ 1978−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᑯᓘᓚ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᑦ, ᐃᓚᒋᓗᒍ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐃᑦᑕᕐᓂᑕᐃᑦ.

Artist Work

About Mosesie Kolola

Medium:

Sculpture

Artistic Community:

Kimmirut, NU

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

1930

Date of Death:

Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

1985
Exhibition

Hudson's Bay Company Collection of Inuit Art, 1992

Publication

Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, 1983

Public Collection

Art Gallery of Ontario

Edit History

March 7, 2019 Profile edited by Michael Olender
March 21, 2018 Created By: Lera Kotsyuba