Couzyn van Heuvelen | CAMP

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Couzyn van Heuvelen, “CAMP,” 2023

Installation view at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, (photo by Toni Hafkenscheid) (courtesy of the Gallery)

Known for his large-scale sculptural works, Couzyn van Heuvelen’s playful approach seamlessly blends traditional practices with contemporary materials and fabrication processes, asserting the resiliency and adaptability of Inuit culture.

Born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, but living predominantly in Southern Ontario, Couzyn van Heuvelen’s artistic practice explores Inuit cultural sovereignty and the tools and technologies of living on the land. Known for his large-scale sculptural works, van Heuvelen’s playful approach seamlessly blends traditional practices with contemporary materials and fabrication processes, asserting the resiliency and adaptability of Inuit culture.

The four sculptural installations in this exhibition build from van Heuvelen’s earlier investigations into hunting and fishing practices by shifting focus to the chores and communal spaces that take shape around the harvesting and preparation of food. Drawing on the seasonal practice of setting up camp in warmer months, van Heuvelen participates in the celebration that takes place when Northern communities gather to hunt and fish together. It is here where skills are passed from one generation to the next and the sustenance provided by the land is gathered, then shared with friends and neighbours. Van Heuvelen honours these practices in his work, reenacting the processes of catching fish, fleshing seal, tanning hides, drying pitsiit, and preparing mattaq in materials new and familiar to his artistic practice, including wool, soap, and steel.

This work is shaped by the artist’s own formative experiences with his family and his desire to connect with the love and labour of his homelands. Here he demonstrates how the camp is a site for shared learning, community-building, and joy. By situating viewers in this conceptual and cultural space, CAMP addresses the critical role of land-based practices in Inuit self-determination, food sovereignty in the North, and the pleasures of celebrating in community around food.