Exhibition opened November 5, 2009 Edvard Munch’s well-known—and much written about— painting, The Scream, was created in 1893, and is widely considered to represent the universal anxiety of modern man. It depicts a screaming figure with a skull-like face, who appears to be in the throes of an unknown emotional crisis. This image is now one of the most familiar … Read More
First Solo Show: Tim Pitsiulak
Exhibition opened August 18, 2009 Tim Pitsiulak proudly identifies himself as a hunter and an artist. This same combination has informed works of art by generations of Inuit artists. However, as all aspects of life in the Arctic, the face of both of these activities has changed greatly in recent times. Modern boats and motors, rifles, and skidoos are a … Read More
Arrived: Drawings by Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok and Mary Ayaq Anowtalik
Exhibition opened February 14, 2009 For Arviat artists, Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok and Mary Ayaq Anowtalik, many decades of sculpting culminated in a reputation of excellence in carving. Several years ago, both artists undertook a new medium – drawing. They have now emerged as important graphic artists. The works of art in this exhibition build on the collection of experimental drawings … Read More
Breaking Ground: New Oil Stick Drawings from Cape Dorset
Exhibition opened October 22, 2008 This exhibition “breaks ground” in a number of ways. First, the medium of oil stick is still a very recent innovation for Inuit artists. It was introduced in Cape Dorset in the late 1990s by Montreal-based artist Ludmilla (Mewa) Armata, who coaxed some remarkable work from senior artists such as Mayureak Ashoona and Sheojuk Etidlooie. … Read More
The Ene Schoeler Collection of Inuit Art
Exhibition opened September 19, 2008 A great collection requires the passion, dedication and focus of a determined collector. Some collections of Inuit art are built with a specific community or artist in mind, while others are motivated by subject matter, media or period. All collections, however, take time, perseverance and attention to detail to become comprehensive and significant representations of … Read More
Earth & Sky: Shuvinai Ashoona and John Noestheden
Exhibition opened June 3, 2008 In February 2008, Canadian artists Shuvinai Ashoona and John Noestheden were invited by Wayne Baerwaldt to Calgary’s Illingworth Kerr Gallery, at the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD). Shuvinai and John were brought together in order to collaborate on a drawing measuring 28x488cm that would be reproduced to scale on a 6x43m horizontal outdoor … Read More
3 Cousins: Annie Pootoogook, Shuvinai Ashoona, Siassie Kenneally
Exhibition opened June 2, 2007 Three artists share their view of the world through original drawings of land, food, dwellings, family, friends and celebrations. They find inspiration in their own experiences and environments, be it the North and their home community of Cape Dorset on Baffin Island, or travelling abroad and documenting the adventure. Annie Pootoogook, Shuvinai Ashoona, and Siassie … Read More
Windows on Kinngait: The Drawings of Napachie Pootoogook and Annie Pootoogook
Exhibition opened June 18, 2005 Napachie Pootoogook This exhibition presents a very special body of work by the Cape Dorset graphic artist, Napachie Pootoogook (1938 — 2002). Late in her life, and motivated in part by her failing health, Napachie decided to tell the stories of her life and times: her local history, her personal experience and the stories of … Read More
Kenojuak and Onward
Exhibition opened November 6, 2004 Generations Series The very existence of our recurring ‘Generations’ series suggests a profound trend toward the artistic within Inuit families. Questions are tantalizing: Does artistic talent run in the blood, or is it culturally or socially determined? Why are there so many artists in a relatively small community such as Cape Dorset? Are there connecting … Read More
Sanaasimasiatok
Exhibition opened June 3, 2004 Cape Dorset is a centre of artistic excellence, internationally renowned for finely finished sculpture and confident graphics. It is not the sheer quantity of art produced in Dorset, but the quality which is legendary. Hold your breath while handling a fragile loon by Sheokjuk Oqutaq or a spirit composition by Tukiki Manomie. Admire the Audubon-like … Read More
Second Nature: Janet Kingusiuq
Exhibition opened November 23, 2002 To behold these recent works on paper by Janet Kigusiuq is to be seduced by colour and delighted by form. Kigusiuq was born in 1926 to Jessie Oonark, the first and brightest star in the Baker Lake firmament. Oonark taught her eldest daughter resilience and self-reliance during the difficult years on the Barren Lands through … Read More
Toonoo’s Legacy
Exhibition opened November 1, 2002 Sometimes one moment can become the axis around which a whole universe spins. The world remembers 1969 as the year of Woodstock’s quest for harmony and the first moon walk that became a celebration of man’s technological advancements. Meanwhile, in the Arctic the I were making their own advances, navigating the treacherous journey from traditional … Read More