Striking in its economy of detail, Helicopter relies on smooth, sculptural volumes that allow the silhouette to carry the visual impact. This simplicity is heightened by subtle accents, propellers and an elongated nose antennae, that anchor the work in a fusion of contemporary imagery and traditional materials.

We cannot help but draw a comparison to Pudlo Pudlat’s earlier and now celebrated depictions of airplanes and helicopters. Like Pudlo, Kowisa Arlooktoo’s work challenges any fixed notion of what Inuit art "should” depict. The helicopter, far from being an imported oddity, is now part of the lived environment, part of what Jean Blodgett called the North’s “cultural equipment” (Grasp Tight the Old Ways, 1983, p. 136).

ND