'Don't be afraid of your feelings': Painting is a haven and a love language for Inuvik's Brian Kowikchuk

After months of work with two other artists to paint murals, Inuvik's Brian Kowikchuk is looking forward to the day one of his paintings hangs in Kitti Hall in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.

The Inuvialuit artist, along with artists Danielle Wendehorst and Kaitlyn Nasogaluak, have finished two sister murals that celebrate Inuvialuit culture. Together, they are called Ancestral Blessing.

One will stay at the Folk on the Rocks site in Yellowknife, while the other is destined for Tuktoyaktuk.

Kowikchuk spoke on The Trailbreaker Thursday morning about what art means to him and how he thinks it can help young people find their way through dark times.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tell us about your murals, Ancestral Blessing.

When I was first approached by Mahalia Yakeleya Newmark and Kalina Newmark, the founders of Strong People, Strong Communities, they had collaborated with Folk on the Rocks. It excited me, because any opportunity to give insight into my culture — I'm from Tuktoyaktuk, and my family's from Sachs. So with an Inuvialuit background, it was exciting to see what I can do when it comes to displaying our sense of identity with music.

I had painted some muskox and some polar bears drum dancing, and they were teaching the young there. At the bottom, beneath the ice, you'll see Sedna and the other spirits there — the narwhal, the seal, the walrus, the beluga. I understand that Sedna is more of an eastern concept, but I believe we're all Inuvialuit or Inuit, and brothers and sisters in nature.

When the time came to give a concept of what I believe, delivering culture to our younger generations, I wanted to show that it excites the spirits — they get excited when we are able to give the young that transaction, when it comes to culture and dance.

How does that feel to gift something like that to Tuk, that's from your heart?

It's exciting to see that I'm able to deliver an awareness that this is a path that is open to our people. I'm hoping it becomes a contagious method of being able to speak to your inner child, and deliver concepts when it comes to cultural identity, and as a healing method.

Realistically, we are all artists. We just need to take the time to sit down, and it's a lot of practise. I've been doing painting classes, and it's always so exciting to see when students are done, they feel so proud of themselves. And I feel proud of them. Over the next little bit, I'll be going to Tuk and doing some painting classes, and eventually doing some murals with the students there. There's going to be more traffic when it comes to exploring a sense of self with art.

What's the significance of where the work will be displayed, Kitti Hall?

Growing up, we had all our festivities there when it comes to Christmas, Halloween, you name it. When it comes to drum dances and gatherings and square dances. It's a really awesome statement that this is a place where you could be yourself and explore yourself as in a social environment.

I understand you grew up in a few Beaufort Delta communities — Aklavik, Inuvik, and you're from Tuk. 

I grew up in the foster system. That's where you'll see where I ventured out into the other communities. You know, when I was done reading the Harry Potter books and sitting down trying to figure out who I am, paint and canvas were realistically an opportunity for me to give myself some communication. It was an avenue, a road, a pathway I was able to feel comfortable walking down.

Art is a really great place to be, because there's no sense of judgment when it comes to sitting down and delivering expression. There's even that bigger step, when you've come forward and when you come to a place where you feel confident enough to share it.

How did you get to that place?

At one point, I stopped painting for like six years when my mom passed away. Everybody goes through different processes when it comes to grieving. Eventually, I started just in the same message that I've done with these murals. You know, I hear her in different places. So I'm missing her well, now.

A lot of people are missing our sense of identity with culture. So it's an awesome concept, when it comes to missing our culture well, being able to express ourselves in a way that we have freedom. There's no one way. There's so many different ways when it comes to that reality.

We have been speaking about the deaths by suicide in the region and how the community and young people are trying to push back against that and to grieve, and to ask for support and all that. What role do you think art can play in resiliency and mental health?

Everybody's answer is, 'Let's go to counselling, go to counselling, go to counselling.' And sometimes, that method of communication — that's the love language, like in a relationship when you are trying to love somebody, you've got to figure out how to love them or they've got to communicate what their love language is.

So it's figuring out what that love language is for yourself. It's 'How do I love myself?' and 'How do I do it in the best way where it's beneficial not just to myself, but for everybody around me?'

I think that when you're speaking to your inner child, art is able to give expression and you're able to grasp on some patience and figure out that sense of identity — who you want to be, who you are, who you were. It can even stop time. It's a place where you are just able to escape.

What do you mean when you say 'stop time'?

I find when I start painting, it's like six hours later. It's just like the summer — you know, when your summer goes by so quick because you're enjoying yourself. I find that time does not exist. When you start into a project such as painting, or sewing, or carving, there's that reality that time just doesn't exist. You have your hands now instead of the hand of time, I guess.

How do you hope to reach and inspire other young people in the region?

This month, I'll be going over to Tuk and going to the school to do some painting classes, and then even into the adult games at Kitti Hall. I'm getting more involved that way, so that it's making art not a stranger.

Into the new year, I believe I'll be working with some more of the youth and doing some mural pieces and collaborating. There's even the concept of utilizing an occupational therapist, so we could understand that art is a mechanism for ourself to figure out if this is a love language for the self. And then, at the same time, it builds community because you're doing things with people.

I think that's a really big deficit these days — back in the day, we worked to survive. Everybody worked together, they went hunting together, they sewed together, they harvested together, they created together. Now that we've been colonized and taught to do things by ourselves, this will bring back that sense of unity. Once you have that, then you have identity.

What do you want to leave people with when you talk about your work and your path?

When it comes to art, I think 50 per cent of the work of anything is just telling yourself you could do it. Then, when you get to the point of starting, that's the other 50 per cent. It's just realistically communicating with yourself that you can do it, and don't be afraid. Or even be afraid. [But] don't be afraid of your feelings. Let them flow. That would be my message.