Olu grew up as a child in Nigeria, listening to the many stories told by the adults. The common theme of these stories was human encounters with spirits and the scary stories of the spirits having power over helpless humans who are at their mercy.
Years later, when he read stories from the Inuit culture, he found shared elements and messages from his childhood. The stories of his childhood and that of the Inuit had themes that conflicted with contemporary understandings and viewpoints.
The Journey To The Remote And The Frigid Cold
In 2007, Olu and Patricia began a journey to the cold fronts of Nunavik in Northern Quebec. The journey ended in 2014, during which they lived, traveled, and experienced the stark realities of aboriginal life amidst a sometimes extremely challenging physical and social environment.
Everywhere they went, they were received warmly by the aboriginal community, made good friends, and met strangers ready to share their knowledge and possessions.
With each passing day, they began to be amazed at the grandeur of the land and its spectacular beauty. They learned to endure the harsh and extreme climate and to embrace the community to celebrate their happiness and weep in their sorrow.
Facing their own challenges as residents of the far north made them respect the Indigenous people’s strength, knowledge, and resilience.
Expressing an Integral Part of Indigenous
Art and creativity are integral to the Indigenous worldview, and oral traditions remain an important part of cultural transmission. Some of this Indigenous art has been interpreted by extraordinarily gifted artists in ancient and contemporary art.
Northern Expressions promotes the symbols of enduring aboriginal spirit, resilience, and talent. They are the ultimate source of authentic Inuit and Native art and gifts and offer one-of-a-kid soapstone carvings, drawings, prints, and other creative works from accomplished artists.
Northern Expressions is the ultimate art gallery for authentic Canadian art and specializes in creative expressions from highly talented Canadian aboriginal artists of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. Their collection includes sculptures, prints, art-based fashion designs, quality accessories, souvenirs, and gifts.
Inuit carvings are signed by the artists and carry the Igloo tag, a symbol of authenticity certified by the government of Canada. In addition, each print has the artist’s signature, a number, and the printer’s chop.
The Community Commitment
Northern Expressions is a value-based company committed to promoting Canadian Inuit art. They procure and merchandise only Indigenous art made in Canada. Through this policy, they strive to support Indigenous artists, their families, and their communities.
Their approach is customer oriented and welcoming in the true spirit of the Indigenous community. They offer a wide range of collections of originally created carvings, drawings, prints, fashion, souvenirs, and gifts.
Many aboriginal communities contributed to the Northern Expressions, including the Cape Dorset Community, Inukjuak Community, and Pangnirtung Community.
Northern Expressions is dedicated to displaying Indigenous art made in Canada and honors the unrelenting resilience, enduring spirit, and artistic expression of Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
Conflicting Messages
Olu notices that the Nigerian stories of his childhood and the Inuit stories of supernatural beings have conflicting messages. Instead of seeing them as obstacles to understanding and appreciating the stories in traditional culture, Olu explores their essence, which remains relevant to the people. These stories, messages, and interpretations are the astounding vision and creativity of the Inuit and other aboriginal cultures.
Olu seeks to impart this spirit and essence of Indigenous stories and art through Northern Expressions, as well as its depth of talent, inspiration, skill, and quality.
They are proud of Canada’s Indigenous heritage and achievements through art. To know more about their artwork, visit their website at https://northernexpressionsart.ca/.
Art is an integral part of Indigenous culture and traditions. To learn more about businesses that cater to Indigenous art, subscribe to Indigenous SME Business Magazine lnkd.in/gBMWGCHX and for the latest updates, check our Twitter page @IndigenousSme.
