Sharp’s first cut: a Barrow whaling exhibit

Inaugural photography exhibit depicts ancient fall celebration

by Naomi Klouda
Homer Tribune

The art of whaling in Barrow isn’t for the faint of stomach. Some might turn their eyes from snowplows lined up to help haul a nearly 50-ton bowhead whale from one part of the beach to another.
For photographer Kim Sharp, the whaling provided her an opportunity to see it all unflinchingly through the camera lens. Sharp records it with an old-fashioned sense of loyalty to documenting a passing way of life held by the Inupiat – a people far different from her own New Jersey youth.
“I just felt it presented a piece of knowledge fascinating to me, like the culture is fascinating: dancing, whaling and all the different parts,” Sharp said. “I fell in love with the culture and want to see as much as I can.” Her show of 33 photographs opened as the First Friday Fireweed Art Gallery exhibit entitled “Barrow: Arctic Life and Light.” It runs through Nov. 4.
On Sharp’s 50th birthday, she decided to fulfill her long-held desire to witness the indigenous cultures of Alaska. She has used a camera since receiving her first Kodak Instamatic at the age of seven, saying she inspired by her grandfather and father’s interest in photography. She describes herself as a housewife who moved to Alaska in 1992 from the East Coast. Her husband is vice president of Era Aviation, and she works at Inua store out on the Spit.
Sharp recalled how, one day, a woman with “Barrow” written on her jacket walked into the store and Sharp took the chance to ask her about perhaps one day going there to photograph the whaling.
“She told me she would give me a call; that her sister is a whaling captain,” Sharp explained.
True to her word, the woman called, and soon Sharp was on her way to document the first of six whales landed that season. She arrived on a Sunday evening just as the first whale was being brought in.
Sharp said it wasn’t easy to walk into the product of a long, heavily cultural hunt and point a camera at it. However, with gentle encouragement from a hunter and people eager to let her appreciate the beauty of their culture, Sharp was on her way to collecting a few thousand photographs.
She was hooked.
Perhaps the most striking part of the show is that Sharp’s camera doesn’t apologize or try to censor the topic. She isn’t trying to make a point about global warming, though the sea ice – what’s left of it – is plainly visible in her photos.
“I wanted to see all aspects of whaling, but also show what Barrow looks like,” she said.
Sharp said she also possesses a scientific interest in helping people “see” concepts that are otherwise difficult to describe.
As for the controversy over the bloody cutting up of a precious sea mammal, Sharp calls it “a way of life,” in a very matter-of-fact tone.
“If you eat hamburger, you don’t see the cow killed,” she explained. “I tell people, this is how they feed their families.”
The exhibit runs in chronological order, beginning with an Inupiat hunter gazing out on the sea ice. Along the way to the finished stacks of red wet meat is a distracted look at the ice-thronged baleen and giant snow movers it takes to push a 47-foot, 47-ton whale.
As the exhibit progresses, Sharp shows the whale brought ashore and a whaling captain cutting the first marks to designate portions. A giant ancient uluk photo is part of the exhibit, as are the smiling faces of children joining in the whale harvest time as a festivity. The children aren’t looking at the camera – they are smiling at their mother who proudly let Sharp photograph them.
This is Sharp’s first foray into a professional exhibit, though she published her photos in a booklet called “Whaling Season in Barrow” and sells her photos through High Tide Arts on the Spit. She would like to continue her line of work, next documenting walrus hunting on Saint Lawrence Island, or presenting photos from the annual Cama’i Dance Festivals in Bethel.
“I am so fortunate that they let me document this,” Sharp said. “They welcomed me.”
Sharp said she is dedicating her show to the people of Barrow.

Contact the writer
Posted by Newsroom on Oct 7th, 2009 and filed under Arts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe via email