Since 2001, Feheley Fine Arts has introduced and provided continued exposure to the exciting new works by graphic artists in the drawings studio of the Cape Dorset Co-operative.  Also known as the Kinngait Studios, it has nurtured and encouraged artists who are now recognized as international talents, including Annie Pootogook, Shuvinai Ashoona, Jutai Toonoo, Itee Pootoogook, Tim Pitsiulak and Ohotaq Mikkigak, all of whom we have featured both inside and outside Canada.

While the work of these senior artists defines what is now considered contemporary Inuit drawing, Kinngait Studios has worked very hard to also encourage new talent. This exhibition is the first of two that will put the spotlight on these emerging artists.  Ranging in age from late 20’s to late 50’s, these artists have all come to the drawing studio recently, two of them through the encouragement of other artists.  One artist had given up drawing for years and then returned with renewed interest and focus.

This exhibition is a testament to the importance and endurance of the Kinngait Studios who provide the infrastructure, materials, and encouragement required for contemporary artists living in the north.  More importantly, it recognizes the inherent skill and originality of four very exciting new talents whom we are delighted to launch here in A New Perspective.

Siassie Kenneally

Siassie Kenneally’s talents undoubtedly stem from a family lineage of legendary artists; she is the daughter of Qaqaq Ashoona and Mayureak Ashoona, the granddaughter of Pitseolak Ashoona, and the cousin of Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook.  “It has been really amazing to carry on their tradition.  I have learned a lot from my family.  They taught me that hard work is the key.”

Siassie originally started drawing in 2004, and was featured in Ashoona: The Third Wave at the Art Gallery of Alberta in 2006 and in Three Cousins at Feheley Fine Arts in 2007.  Since these exhibitions, Siassie took a break from drawing.  Having recently returned to the studio, she has developed a very different style from her earlier works.  While still dedicating her works to her memories, she has become more focused on daily life in Cape Dorset.  “Our beautiful history really inspires my art.”

Her detailed artworks are done from memory rather than photographs, allowing her to manipulate perspective and play with her scenes.  Siassie’s recent drawings portray her experience building a hockey rink with friends, and feasting with her family, both from spectacular aerial views.

To view available artworks by Siassie Kenneally, click here.

Kudluajuk Ashoona

In spite of her artistic family, Kudluajuk Ashoona did not become interested in drawing until 2011 when her daughter, Nicotye Samayualie, asked her to accompany her to the studio.  In addition to her daughter, her artistic lineage includes famous Inuit artists like her cousin, Shuvinai Ashoona, and her grandmother, the renowned Pitseolak Ashoona.

Her drawings are mostly based on her own photographs, often recalling Cape Dorset daily life and family events from the 1970’s and 1980’s.  Kudluajuk’s intimate and primarily interior scenes feature her friends and family within surrounding framing elements.  While many of the scenes are inspired by photographs taken by Kudluajuk herself, she does carefully select scenes captured by other photographers, such as the touching goodbye scene aboard the CD Howe, the ship which transported patients with tuberculosis for treatment in the south.

When drawing, Kudluajuk is delicate when it comes to replicating her community’s history;  “If I do not draw what is in the photograph then I am changing it, and it would never be the same.”  She begins drawing each with a pencil outline, reinforced in ink, and then carefully completed in coloured pencil.  The resulting drawings invite the viewer into a scene of colour and intimacy.

To view available artworks by Kudluajuk Ashoona, click here.

Saimaiyu Akesuk

Saimaiyu Akesuk is one of the most original of the group of emerging artists working in the Kinngait Studios.  Her grandfather, sculptor Latcholassie Akesuk, directly influenced her playful animal-themed images.  “When I first started drawing, I sometimes thought my grandfather was helping me.  If I could not decide what to draw, I would stare at my paper and remember his works.”

Although her unique style and imaginative use of colour have launched her to the forefront of contemporary Inuit art, she was actually reluctant to start drawing. “I used to doodle when I went to Arctic College.  It helped take away my stress.  It wasn’t until Ningeokuluk Teevee showed the Co-op one of my drawings that I became encouraged to draw seriously.  Since then, I have grown so much.  One of my drawings, Leaving the Past Behind, shows the old me, crying as she does not want to be left behind, and the new me moving on, leaving the old me behind.”

Saimaiyu begins by drawing an outline and then adds colour starting from the centre.  Using only coloured pencils, she applies her colour forcefully, creating surface texture with her unique technique of switching the direction of her pencil to create opposing shading.

To view available artworks by Saimaiyu Akesuk, click here.

Olooreak Etungat

Olooreak is the adopted daughter of esteemed Cape Dorset artists Abraham Etungat and Ishuhungitok Etungat.  Although raised by sculptors, Olooreak has experimented with drawing since she was a child.  She has also taken several workshops offered by the Arctic College, including jewellery-making, metal sculpture, and sewing courses.

Olooreak’s drawings often contrast the constraints and behaviours of traditional Inuit culture with contemporary life in the north.  An aerial drawing of people dancing in caribou skins reflects the convention of feigning happiness and hiding one’s true emotions.  “People would only display joy and were not accustomed to showing anger or depression like they are today.”  An endearing drawing of a seal wearing a modern sealskin parka is a humorous reference to traditional Inuit clothing.  Additional works by Olooreak describe the roles of northern women and their southern counterparts who simultaneously cope with studies, family obligations, and employment.

Like many of her contemporaries, Olooreak begins by outlining her drawings in pencil, then strengthens it with ink, and finishes by adding colour.  “Before, when I wanted to draw I had to borrow my daughter’s pencil crayons. She only had four colours!   Now I get all my paper and pencils from the studio.”

To view available artworks by Olooreak Etungat, click here.

To view digitized illustrated catalogue, click here.