Ron Telek

Country/Region: Northwest Coast (view other artists)

Tribe: Nisga'a

Ron Telek (b. 1962) is of the Eagle Clan of the Nisga'a nation. He has been carving since high school and has been working seriously as an artist since 1985. Telek's main medium is wood; however, he often incorporates other materials such as bone, abalone, and moose hair into his creations.

Ron Telek's matrilineal uncle, renowned Nisga'a carver, Norman Tait, has been his principal teacher. Ron Telek and Norman Tait have worked together on many commissions. For example, with Norman Tait, Ron Telek and several other Nisga'a carvers were commissioned to carve totem poles for Stanley Park and Capilano Mall in the 1980's. Ron Telek's first gallery exhibition took place in the Inuit Gallery in Vancouver in 1985. Since that time, Ron has exhibited to wide acclaim in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria.

At Alcheringa Gallery, Ron Telek has exhibited regularly since 1993 and his inclusion in the first Tribal Miniatures exhibition in that year. Ron has taken part in each of the Tribal Miniature exhibitions, except one. Additionally, Ron Telek has created masks and sculptures in full and monumental proportions.

Artist's Statement

My name is Ron Telek. I am a member of the Nisga'a Nation and an artist whose style is rooted in the shamanic tradition of our people. The territory of the Nisga'a is in the Nass Valley of British Columbia, near Alaska. While my family originates from the village of Kincolitih, located near the mouth of the Nass River, I currently reside in Terrace, British Columbia.

I am a member of the Laxgiik or Eagle Clan. In our culture, we are born of our mother's clan and the names that we hold are passed from our maternal side. My Nisga'a name is Jagam Txalp, Four Canoes coming into the village. My uncle, Alver Tait, who is a master carver of the Nisga'a nation, was the previous holder of the name.

The biggest influence in my development, as an artist has been my uncle, Norman Tait. Considered the most prominent master artist of our Nation, he taught me the Nisga'a style of carving. I undertook my apprenticeship in the 1980's under his guidance and worked with him on various totem pole commissions. Our pole carving style emphasizes the importance of wood as a medium. It showcases the natural proportions of figures and faces, and our totem poles are left unpainted, leaving the natural grain to represent the face and skin of our figures.

At one time, the Nisga'a had a class of powerful artists called the Gitsontk. These were the privileged artists who produced objects such as masks, globular rattles, and puppets that were used in sacred ceremonies.

My shamanic traditional carving style is reminiscent of this time and style. While I have produced a variety of works, including wooden bowls and puppets, most of my work is focused on the creation of masks. My masks are similar in form to those spirit masks called Nax Nox. These masks were carved to represent spiritual beings.

A major theme of shamanic art is transformation. Nax Nox masks were often articulated with attachments that could change the expression or form of the masks. While I am not a Shaman, and my art is not produced for ritual purposes, I have an interest in exploring the psyche and unconscious through a shamanic style of art.

My culture believes that a transformation from human to an animal, to the spiritual, is always a possibility. My own near death experience motivates me to deal with the theme of transformation. Occasionally, my art captures a terrifying vision. The vision represents the struggle of the soul to create the good that will conquer evil. All people, regardless of culture, have faced this struggle. Through my art, I bring the spiritual and cultural worlds of the Nisga'a to others across the world.

Ron Telek

Selected Exhibitions

1993 Tribal Miniatures '93, First Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1994 Tribal Miniatures: Gems of the Northwest Coast, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1995 Tribal Miniatures: Dreams of Silver and Gold, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1996 Tribal Miniatures: Treasures of the Northwest Coast, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1996 Spirits of the Forest, Sea and Sky: Masks by Mastercarvers of the Northwest Coast, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1997 Tribal Miniatures '97, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1998 Tribal Miniatures '98, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

1999 Tribal Miniatures '99, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2000 Tribal Miniatures '00, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2001 Tribal Miniatures '01, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2001 Raven, Moon and Sun: Carvers of the Coast, Group Exhibitions, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2002 Tribal Miniatures X, Annual Exhibition, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

2005-06 Changing Hands II, Museum of Art & Design, New York, NY

2011 Masks: The Linda Heller Collection, Alcheringa Gallery, Victoria, BC

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