Lot 24: JO KLOSE, ATHAPASKAN, acrylic on incised wood panels, 48 ins x 48 ins x 1 ins; 121.9 cms x 121.9 cms x 2.5 cms

JO KLOSEATHAPASKANacrylic on incised wood panelssigned, titled and dated ‘06; signed, titled and dated 2006 on the reverse 48 ins x 48 ins x 1 ins; 121.9 cms x 121.9 cms x 2.5 cms Provenance:Private Collection, OntarioIntrigued with Canada’s indigenous cultures, German artist Jo Klose explores the lives and traditions of the country’s first settlers in his symbolic and commanding carved panels. Klose said of this series, “The wooden relief paintings differ [in] their varying color schemes, derived from the individual ethnic groups’ respective geographic distribution. [...] There arise associations with these natural peoples’ environments. Among them, the frozen wastes of the arctic tundra [...], the perennially green forests of the Canadian west coast, and the boundless woodlands of the sub-arctic.” Each of Klose’s panels contain symbolic colour palettes which speak to heritage, geography and topography. While distinct on their own, they also work as a unified grouping with a common theme amongst Canada’s indigenous peoples: hunting. Klose indicates this shared tradition with prominent, dissecting red arrows which also serve to delineate earth and sky.Athapaskan (2006), is thematically centered around the hunting traditions of the Athapaskan peoples residing in portions of Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories of Canada. Semi-nomadic hunters, the Athapaskan relied on staples of caribou and moose; this panel includes imagery of hunting in a petroglyph-like depiction. Haida, 2006, is Klose’s representation of a Haida totem pole from the Pacific Northwest which represents and honours Haida ancestry and a way in which to preserve cultural and familial stories. The Algonquin (2003) panel depicts “a figure with the head of a sun”, referring to the Algonkian (Algonquin) “Great Spirit” petroglyphs found near Peterborough, Ontario. The Algonquin considered this location a shamanic place of worship and an entrance to the spirit world. “Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner” (2001), a film about an Inuit legend of an evil spirit wreaking havoc on a community and the warrior who battled it, was the basis for Klose’s panel, Atanarjuat (2003).-Artist statement excerpts courtesy of the artistEstimate: $7,000–9,000