Page 10-The Michigan Daily- Friday, November 8, 1991
Eskimo artists chill
by Aaron Hamburger
Arriving a half an hour early to a performance at the Power Center does
not have to be a nerdy thing to do. Aimless awkwardness can be tossed
aside while strolling through the print gallery in the front of the auf
ditorium. This month, the gallery features a unique collection of prints
by contemporary Eskimo artists.
Never mind the fact that you probably can't pronounce any of the
artists' names - the works are generally fresh and exciting. The artists
use simple but observant forms and a small range of colors to describe
Eskimo life. Timeless themes of nature, life and love occur in the works,
While some of the prints are a little too "cute" and border on the banal,
several of the works use simple, direct images to depict important ele-
ments of the artists' lives.
One of the most exciting pieces is Kananginak Pootoogook's "Young
Raven," which seems to be little more than one powerful, massive black
shape. Pootoogook shows a more delicate, refined side to his work in
"Special Bird" with his intricate, lace-like patterns which depict a bird's
feathers.
Kauavau Munamee's "Tender Enfoldment" shows an ultramarine
blue bird enveloping its child with its wing. Munamee's subtle coloring.
and sandy texture on the birds' wings helps to overcome the maudlin
tendencies of the subject matter.
The most energetic print on display is "Woman Speak of Spring,
Fishing" by Kenojvak Ashevak. The piece portrays a group of swelling
curving forms of women, fish and birds, symbols of the vitality of life.
Ashevak creates a sense of noisy activity in the work by focusing on the,
mouths of the animals, and particularly on the chattering teeth in the,
mouths of the women.
If you're on your way to a performance at the Power Center, or even if
you just want to browse, these prints are worth a look.
The ESKIMO ART SHOW is on display at the Power Center Print,
Gallery through November.
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BOOKS
Continued from page 8
women, but not an inevitable part.
Le Guin takes a very strong stand
for a woman's need for abortion as a
valid option: "...the preservation of
life seems to be rather a slogan than
a genuine goal of the anti-abortion
forces; what they want is control.
Control over behavior: power over
women. Women in the anti-choice
movement want to share in male
power over women, and do so by
denying their own womanhood,
their own rights and responsibili-
ties."
These essays provide a fascinat-
ing glimpse of the mind that created
Ged, the Wizard of Earthsea, and
other memorable characters from a
successful career as a science fiction
writer. Well grounded in her work
as a fiction writer, Le Guin energe-
tically questions all manner of
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literary assumptions, such as they
distinction between prose and
poetry: "The borderline between
prose and poetry is one of those fog,-
shrouded literary minefields where
the wary explorer gets blown to
bits before ever seeing anything
clearly. It is full of barbed wire and
the stumps of dead opinions."
She doesn't hesitate to explore
those opinions, however: "'All the
same, all the same, there is a
difference... isn't there? In the work,
not the worker,' says Shelley. 'The
distinction between poets and proses
writers,' he says in the Defense of
Poetry, 'is a vulgar error.' Now
there's a man who swatted Philoso-
phy Teachers like flies."
The poetry of Le Guin's prose is
more compelling than her experi-
ments with poetry, mixed in with
the essays. The rambling phrases are
a sort of travel diary of crosw
country trips with her family,
sometimes little more than playing
with unusual place-names. "Jackrab-
bits go lolloping off like wallabiesl
with magnificent blacktipped cars./
Gabbs Luning. There's a name for
you!"
In the end, Le Gum seems to call
on women to speak out in their own
works. For, as she says, obedience
and submission are silent. "I want
to hear you," she told the class of
'86 at 'Bryn Mawr. "speak out with
a woman's tongue. Come out and
tell us what time of night it 1!
Don't let us sink back into silenoo.
If we don't tell our truth, who
will?"
-Liz Patton
--
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