Convergence North / South


Mary Paningajak, CONVERGENCE NORTH/SOUTH – MARY PANINGAJAK, 2018, Linocut, 39 x 66 in.

Exhibition opened September 6, 2018

This exhibition features a printmaking project which took place in Ivujivik, Nunavik (Arctic Quebec). Three artists from Nunavik – Qumaq Iyaituk, Mary Paningajak and Passa Mangiuk – collaborated with Montreal-based artist and printmaker, Lyne Bastien. In addition to individual chine-collé prints, each of the four artists created their own panel of twenty-eight linocuts, as well as a fifth panel which was donated to Nuvviti School, in Ivujivik.  The mixture of prints resulted in a mosaic-like effect of symbols, objects and artefacts related to Inuit culture such as the Ulu (women’s knife), the Qajaq (kayak), and the Unaaq (harpoon). The artists were familiar with Nunavik prints from the fifties and sixties; they appreciated the graphic qualities and the simplification of form that characterized the works. Therefore, linocut printing was chosen due to its similar process as stonecut printing which was practiced during the first exploratory period of printmaking in Puvirnituq, Nunavik.

The collaboration allowed for an exchange in knowledge, points of view, and the exploration of basic color printing methods which was an enriching experience for each artist. The elements depicted represent a part of quotidian life in the Artic and are necessary for survival on the land: Paningajak was interested in northern plants for their shapes, and culinary and medicinal properties; Iyaituk focused on traditional Inuit clothing; Mangiuk was interested in the activity of fishing and the stretching of sealskin; and Bastien translated those same Inuit artefacts into abstract form. Coming from a different culture with different reference points, Bastien viewed these elements as shapes that she transformed into her own visual language. Two years since the project begun, this exhibition resulted in over one-hundred impressions of elements overlapping in a visual dialogue where North and South converge.

Lyne Bastien


Lyne Bastien, CONVERGENCE NORTH/SOUTH – LYNE BASTIEN, 2018, Linocut, 39 x 66 1/8 in.

Feheley Fine Arts is pleased to present an exciting new entry into the Inuit art world. The gallery will be exhibiting a printmaking project which took place in Ivujivik, Nunavik (Arctic Quebec). Three artists from Nunavik – Qumaq Iyaituk, Mary Paningajak and Passa Mangiuk – collaborated with Montreal-based artist and printmaker, Lyne Bastien. Each artist created their own panel of twenty-eight linocuts as well as stand-alone graphic chine-collé prints resulting in a mosaic-like of symbols, objects and artefacts related to Inuit culture.

The purpose of this collaboration was to allow for an exchange in knowledge, points of view, and to explore basic color printing methods; “It is the work done in collaboration . . . that contributed to the projects’ richness, throughout the creative process of each panel and the final works,” Bastien explains. Each artist shared their printing plates: Paningajak was interested in northern plants for their shapes, as well as their culinary and medicinal properties; Iyaituk focused on traditional Inuit clothing; Mangiuk was interested in fishing and the stretching of sealskin. Lyne translated those same Inuit artefacts into abstract form. The project resulted in one-hundred-and-fifty impressions of elements overlapped in a visual dialogue where North and South converge.

Due to a lack of proper facility space, these extraordinary prints were produced out of makeshift studios between the Kativik Schoolboard House and Bastien’s living room. The artists envision their own cultural center with a print studio that would contribute to the local economy of Ivujivik and other communities in Nunavik. Two years since the project was conceived, Feheley Fine Arts is delighted to exhibit a group show of their prints. The four artists will travel to Toronto for the opening.