Ikumagialiit ᐃᑯᒪᒋᐊᓖᑦ (those that need fire) is a new performance art band with Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Cris Derksen, Jamie Griffiths and Christine Tootoo. The Ikumagialiit quartet is egalitarian, bringing together four strong women from different disciplines, across generations.
Turning towards the question of how to hold space for fear when pressure is mounting, Ikumagialiit takes on the metaphor of the bowhead whale, learning how to breathe in the depths and exploring Inuit practices of meditation and spiritual skill-building to make this journey.
Stills from live performance
Ikumagialiit’s world premiere performance was on November 16, 2019 during the exhibition run of the NGC’s Àbadakone / Continuous Fire / Feu continuel an international indigenous performance art exhibition, at the National Gallery of Canada.
Ikumagialiit’s second performance, made Toronto’s weekly ‘Critics Pick’ (NOW magazine), in December 2019, for a sold out, one-night only showing at the Harbourfront Centre.
Ikumagialiit was commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada for Àbadakone / Continuous Fire / Feu continuel in 2019. Funding has also been provided through The Inuit Art Foundation’s Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Fund.
PERFORMANCES
Nov 16 2019 National Gallery of Canada (Abadakone Exhibition), Ottawa, Canada
Dec 12 2019 Harbourfront Theatre, Festival of Cool, Toronto, Canada
ONLINE ARTICLES
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/community/in-the-making-national-gallery-1.5331805