Sport is deeply rooted in culture and context, its own or that of the community it emerges from. Mark Igloliorte often relocates the visual vernacular of the skatepark into the exhibition space, in his piece Red Rail<\/em>(2004) for example. Recreating a cherry red flat rail in a gallery, or drawing and collaging on skateboard decks, the artist transforms and translates the physicality of the global sport into sculptural objects. Even without the scraping sounds, the sliding noises, the tumbling falls, or whoops of joy, these pieces anticipate a kinesthetic playing field, an arena of concrete, steel, and wooden surfaces meant for gliding bodies, leaping into flight, and landing on four wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Igloliorte also depicts the sporting landscapes of his native Nunatsiavut. The oil on plexiglass series Kayait<\/em>(2008) highlights how the kayak is a centre point for Inuit communities. He reminds us that the boat is used for much more than leisure or competitive Olympic activity; it is a product of colonization in which the mode of transportation, hunting, and subsistence has been abstracted from its origins. Kayak is Inuktitut for Seal Hunting Boat<\/em>(2019) further illustrates this notion. With large bold writing on a bright yellow background, and thin hand drawings of traditional seal hunting kayaks, the artist ties the sporting vessel to its provenance. In light of recent seal hunting bans, the work is a reminder that colonial practices continue to disenfranchise the Inuit by obstructing their ancestral rights, while mining their cultural artifacts for commercial purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the video Eskimo Roll<\/em> (2017), the artist performs a kayak roll in Vancouver Harbour. Righting the capsized boat using body motion and a paddle, Igloliorte executes the gesture repeatedly. Rows of expensive North Vancouver homes can be seen in the distance, and immense oil tankers occupy the water. The juxtaposition between the artist in his tiny vessel, against the cold, looming specter of oil extraction, pollution, environmental degradation, and speculative real estate development is stark. From the materiality of the skatepark to the iconography of the kayak, Igloliorte\u2019s practice explores the cultural, political, and aesthetic reaches of sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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