Interview: Indigenous video art represents Canada at the Venice Biennale

28 • 06

In honour of Canada’s National Indigenous History Month, we’re spotlighting Isuma, the renowned Inuit artist collective and video production company whose exhibition is officially representing Canada at the Canada Pavilion at the prestigious Venice Biennale. (This 58th edition takes place from May 11 to November 24, 2019.)

Isuma was officially founded in 1990 (original co-founders include Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn). A focus of the collective, according to the National Gallery of Canada, is to preserve and share Inuit culture and stories. Over the years, Isuma features have opened the Toronto International Film Festival, screened at the Sundance Film Festival, and taken home the Caméra d’or at the Cannes Film Festival, to name a few.

Isuma’s exhibition includes live webcasting direct from Nunavut called Silakut Live From the Floe Edge; Indigenous-language films online called Isuma Online; and a video installation of new feature directed by Kunuk called One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk.

For more, check out our interview with Zacharias Kunuk and visit http://www.isuma.tv/

Isuma means to think, to have an idea,” says Kunuk in this Telefilm Canada video (below), in which he also shares memories, inspirations, process, and insights about Isuma as well as its Biennale exhibition. “So you do a lot of thinking and planning and drawing, you have to see it before it happens.”

Isuma’s exhibition includes live webcasting direct from Nunavut called Silakut Live From the Floe Edge; Indigenous-language films online called Isuma Online; and a video installation of new feature directed by Kunuk called One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk.

For more, check out our interview with Zacharias Kunuk and visit http://www.isuma.tv/

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