(Digitized catalogue below) All of Jutai Toonoo’s drawings seem deeply personal. Described by William Ritchie, manager of the Kinngait Studios, Toonoo’s process is an “explosion of emotion… a fit of anger or joy.” At the same time, this volatility is “balanced by his spectacular work. He’s got an incredible eye and an incredible use of colour. He’ll dive into any … Read More
The Bouchard Collection: Wall-hangings from Baker Lake
(Digitized catalogue below) In 1985, Marie Bouchard completed research in Baker Lake for her collaboration on a major retrospective of the work of noted graphic artist, Jessie Oonark. This research led Marie to an awareness of the superb tradition of the creation of wall hangings which, in Baker Lake, stemmed back to the 1960’s. In 1986, Marie Bouchard and her … Read More
Drawing Attention: Recent Work by Tim Pitsiulak
(Digitized catalogue below) Tim Pitsiulak has come to represent the archetype of the contemporary Inuit artist. His style is highly individual, yet infused with influences from his culture’s traditional past and complex present-day life. Born and raised in Kimmirut, Nunavut, Tim moved to the community of Cape Dorset around 2001. His parents, Temela and Napatchie Pitsiulak were carvers. His aunt, … Read More
Masterful Vision: Sculpture by Jacoposie Oopakak
(Digitized catalogue below) In the Arctic, an artist can never work entirely alone. The difficulty of finding materials and a space to work is not easy, but it is the private turmoil that is most trying. An artist like Jacoposie, who has endured deep suffering, both emotional and physical, but who harbours also a profound talent for storytelling has need … Read More
Itee Pootoogook: An Arctic Lens
(Digitized catalogue below) Although Itee Pootoogook is an emerging graphic artist, his career began many years ago. He was a carver in the 1970s and in the 1980s sold his first drawing to Terry Ryan, then manager of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative. It has not been until the last five years that Itee has focused his work as a … Read More
A Bird in the Hand: The Ene Schoeler Collection of Inuit Art
(Digitized catalogue below) 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 an art … Read More
3 Cousins: Annie Pootoogook, Shuvinai Ashoona, Siassie Kenneally
(Digitized catalogue below) 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 Kenneally come … Read More
Kigusiuq and her Contemporaries
(Digitized catalogue below) A Distinguished artist and a notable colourist, Janet Kigusiuq is renonwned for her graphic compositions, her tactile interpretations of Arctic landscape, and narratives that share her experience of living in the North. She often depicted the land around her as well as the stories she remembered hearing throughout her childhood. The late Kigusiuq established an important place … Read More
Shuvinai Ashoona: Time Interrupted
(Digitized catalogue below) Shuvinai Ashoona is not an emerging artist; her detailed ink drawings of dense landscapes have intrigued viewers for many years. In earlier works, domestic items and interwoven topographical elements lived side by side in a relationship of rich detail made possible through ink stippling and cross-hatching. Today, Shuvinai continues to work with an intense attention to detail, … Read More
de Visser’s Vision: Sculpture from the John de Visser Collection
(Digitized catalogue below) Extensive travel is integral to the role of a photojournalist, and throughout his brilliant career, John de Visser has enjoyed unique opportunities in his quest to document people and places. Raised with an appreciation of the visual arts, de Visser became a photographer in the early 1950s after arriving in Toronto from his native Holland. In 1958, … Read More
Windows on Kinngait: The Drawings of Napachie Pootoogook and Annie Pootoogook
(Digitized catalogue below) 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 other people … Read More
Kenojuak and Onward
(Digitized catalogue below) 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 threads between … Read More