Laakkuluk and our host have a deep dive into folklore
A creative morning like no other with our conversation with an artist, expressive, storyteller presenter this month.
About the speaker
March's theme is 'FOLKLORE' and we are thrilled to host Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, a kalaaleq (Greenlandic Inuk) performance artist, poet, actor, curator, storyteller and writer.
Known for performing uaajeerneq, a Greenlandic mask dance, Laakkuluk performs internationally, collaborates with other artists and is a fierce advocate for Inuit artists. She is the winner of the 2021 Sobey Art Award, Canada’s most prestigious contemporary art prize. For Laakkuluk, uaajeerneq is a deeply personal and cultural challenge to find true expressions of oneself in an effort to decolonize. It is a fearsome, sexy clown act that comes from precolonial and postcolonial Greenland – her motherland. It is an idiosyncratic study of boundaries for both performers and audiences, a celebration of body and flesh, a loving and respectful exploration of humanity and ferocious call to action. It is a performance that was handed down to her from her mother and other Inuit activist artists from Greenland’s movement to self government in the 1970s. Uaajeerneq is the cornerstone of her artistic practice.
How do you define Creativity?
Creativity is the ease of accessing your artistic core to come up with expression.
Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
My artistic core is fed by being on the land with my family, listening to stories, and finding pockets of humour in all aspects of life.
What's one piece of creative advice you wish you'd known as a young person?
Don't second guess yourself in the face of derision from racists.
Who would you most enjoy hearing speak about their relationship to creativity?
I would love to hear from Cannupa Hanska Luger.
Favorite quotes from this talk
