Untitled (Pixellated Hunter) (2008)
This piece by Nick Sikkuark (1943–2013) captures the upper body of a man in a brown parka, holding a spear and set against an icy landscape. The drawing is made up of small circles of colour, creating a mosaic effect while simultaneously conjuring a pixelated photograph. The scene is further distorted by a camouflage pattern made of sections of bare paper that partially masks the figure. It is as if the source image Sikkuark used is pixelated in his memory. Untitled (Pixellated Hunter) both reflects on the past through the representation of an older technology (a spear) and points to a mediated future where memory is increasingly held by digital technology. Sikkuark cleverly presents a healthy scepticism about his digital present as well as the future. It is as if he has astutely anticipated current discourse around social media platforms and the self; if a moment is not captured on Instagram, did it ever happen?