Exhibition - Stephen Gorman: Not For Sale

About the Event

Anderson Yezerski Gallery is pleased to present Not For Sale, an exhibition of photographs by Stephen Gorman. This is Gorman’s first exhibition with the gallery.

Through my lens, I have spent years exploring the quiet dignity, strength, and resilience of the Inuit people, whose rich cultural heritage and deep connection to the Arctic landscape have persisted for millennia. This exhibition, Not For Sale, features photographs of the Inuit, their remote Arctic homelands, and the traditional practices that continue to define their way of life. These photographs are not just portraits of a people, but a meditation on the forces of history and geopolitics that continue to shape their existence.

Recently the global geopolitical landscape has shifted once again, and at the center of the current international debate lies the Arctic – a region of staggering strategic value. As the sea ice recedes, new maritime routes that may shift the global balance of power are opening. Beneath the region's frozen surface lie vast untapped, yet increasingly accessible, reserves of oil, gas, and minerals – resources that are critical in the coming new “Great Game” competition between the United States, Russia, and China.

President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, driven by these economic and strategic considerations, underscores the historic disregard for the sovereignty of the region’s original inhabitants. The Inuit, whose ancestors have thrived in the Arctic for millennia, find themselves once again in the shadow of larger political forces, and today we face a disturbing reminder of how indigenous lands have historically been treated as bargaining chips by rival nations. The proposed annexation of these territories echoes a darker chapter of American history.

From the Louisiana Purchase to the annexation of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Southwestern United States, the story of territorial expansion has ignored the sovereignty of the indigenous peoples who have called these lands home for centuries. In these moments, as now in the Arctic, the expansion of empires takes precedence over the lives, cultures, and rights of indigenous communities.

Not For Sale is a call to remember the Inuit people as more than subjects of imperial ambitions and political agendas. These images are an invitation to reflect on the sovereignty of those who live in the Arctic, and the ongoing threat posed by the annexation and exploitation of their lands. This exhibition asks the question: when history repeats itself, how do we ensure that the voices of the original landowners are heard, and that their right to their homelands is never again forgotten or disregarded?

This body of work is dedicated to the Inuit — not just as subjects of photography, but as the rightful stewards of their land, whose legacy is not for sale.

Dates: February 14 - March 22, 2025

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