Kobe Antoine is a member of the Laksilyu clan from Lake Babine Nation, and is a young artist living in Burns Lake. His life journey has brought him to specialize in Indigenous arts, with an emphasis in carving and design. His excellence in his craft has given him the opportunity to create a pole for the Foundry Burns Lake building, reflecting community and culture in the new space. Foundry Burns Lake offers mental wellness and youth services to all youth in the Burns Lake area, so it was important to him to include youth from the area in the design of the pole.
Kobe started his carving career at 17, first as a part of the Maker Lab at the Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George, which then led him to the First Nations Fine Arts program at the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art.
“My passions are to be a carver teacher, and what comes with that is just any type of carving being wood, metal or stone. I want to cultivate my art so that I can pass it down to the next generation,” Kobe says.
Kobe takes great pride in his work and the many projects he has been a part of, most notably a recent stone carving in Ottawa. He carries this pride and deep love for art in his everyday life. For Kobe, art is more than something to look at; it’s a reflection of his culture. “Culture is the fabric of society, and we’re just the weavers to keep that bond strong and keep that weave strong so it keeps going for the rest of the generations to build upon that,” he reflects.
Kobe’s dream for the pole in the Foundry Building is to be a source of inspiration and identity for the next generations of youth. “I hope that they feel hope and inspiration and encouragement, and to feel strong within their own being.”
This pole represents the work happening inside Foundry Burns Lake; it is collaborative, non-judgmental, and has culture at its core.
Stay tuned to the CSFS website and social media pages for more updates on Kobe’s carving for Foundry.
To find out more about Foundry Burns Lake, visit Foundry Burns Lake | Foundry BC