Michel Dumont, Kyoto Bear (2019)

Michel Dumont
Kyoto Bear
2019
ceramic tiles, taxidermy form, glass eyes, plastic teeth, plywood backed polyurethane foam, hand tinted grout
14 x 11 x 18 inches
 
Kyoto Bear portrays a polar bear cub and signifies concerns about the reduction in polar bear populations and habitat in relation to climate change. The word Kyoto refers to the Kyoto Protocol which established targets to aid in the global reduction of greenhouse gases and calls out Canada’s failure to make those targets. The tiles portray ice flows and seals. Dumont has said that if he were to make the work again there would be fewer white tiles signifying ice, again emphasizing climate change and food precarity.