Growing up together in the small Inuit community of Kikiak, or Rigolet, in Labrador, Eldred Allen and Jason Sikoak know all too well that climate change is unforgiving around the Arctic. So naturally, the two friends agreed to participate in the First Peoples Festival to show the evolution of a territory they cherish.
“Eldred’s work resonates beautifully with the theme,” says Jason Sikoak, who was also tasked with finding a title for the exhibition at La Guilde. “My first thought was of Bob Dylan’s song, The Times They Are a-Changin’, because climate change is rapid and very real,” he recalls. Eventually, it will be Time and Tidealso referring to an article he wrote for Inuit Art on ocean and air currents at the 2020 Venice Biennale, “The Tides That Bind.” “To illustrate it, they chose one of Eldred’s photographs: Time and Tide [Time and Tide en anglais]none waits for the other, but each changes,” the artist notes.
In this scorching summer of 2024, the gallery walls are hung with the disconcerting, often abstract photographs of Eldred Allen and the intriguing prints, illustrations and other sculptures of Jason Sikoak, which give pride of place to sealskin, copper and traditions. All of them more or less directly evoke the consequences of climate change that are rapidly affecting the indigenous populations of the North.
“I like to photograph the area where I live and the things that I see, and I find that there are themes that emerge without me specifically wanting to convey a message,” says Allen. In fact, his images reflect adaptation to these changes that affect everything from the environment to wildlife and resources. “Well, it’s unfortunately quite obvious to a certain degree, because in our culture, we depend on snow and ice,” the photographer laments.
“We rely on the ice pack to travel by snowmobile to our hunting grounds and cabins and in just a few years you can see differences in the freeze and thaw periods,” says Allen. He recalls one accident that happened right before his eyes while he was in the middle of a drone photo shoot. “A community member was out checking out the ice conditions and unfortunately he fell through [la glace] with his snowmobile and barely managed to escape,” he says. The photo shows a gaping hole. “It’s a shame that we can easily obtain such explicit images that show the very concrete effects of climate change,” the artist regrets. He also believes that it seems difficult to contest them when you live near the Arctic, since they are obvious and omnipresent.
Jason Sikoak continues: “I’m in my fifties and I can tell you that where I was born is a lot different now than when I grew up.” He remembers that he and Eldred Allen could actually walk across the frozen water as early as December 31. “It’s not until February before it’s safe now,” he says. And what about the Kikiak/Rigolet his father knew? “Hearing these stories, it’s like the changes are happening faster and faster,” he says.
One of his works, devoted to the Northwest Passage, also addresses the direct effects of man on the planet. The Northwest Passage depicts the increased presence of ships, encouraged and praised in his youth, and the disruption of marine life and the Arctic Ocean by noise that this causes. “I depicted the anger caused by ships using the passage and helping themselves to our resources while leaving waste behind,” explains Jason Sikoak.
Ultimately, it is by capturing the daily life of Kikiak/Rigolet that Eldred Allen tells the story of climate change. “We have beautiful landscapes, a rich culture, incredible wildlife, and diverse activities, and what I want most is to show their beauty,” he says. He then invites visitors to Time and Tide to think about what they see. “At first glance, you might not know what you’re looking at or what the photograph means,” he warns. “And there’s a lot of conversation between our works,” concludes Jason Sikoak.