Material Culture: The Art of Mayureak Ashoona

Exhibition opened November 1, 2001 “These are all about history – what has been going on. They are memories; the whole truth about all of life for those who forget about their history; to make sure that the young people know what really happened; to work both sides, from the past to the future; to communicate with people in the … Read More

Material Matters: The Media of Inuit Art

Exhibition opened June 10, 2000 Introduction Artists worldwide grapple with the materials they use to translate ideas into physical form and the Inuit are no exception. Some begin with the flat surface of a page on which to build up an image from inspired marks, while others work to free their subject from an existing substance such as stone. The … Read More

Transformed: The Last Works of Sheojuk Etidlooie

Exhibition opened November 19, 1999 “Aanaan [My mother], your wisdom, strength and guidance have and always will guide us through life. We all miss you. Your loving son,” – Pauloosie Suvega, Iqaluit, 1999 “We didn’t realize how well-known my mother was in the south. She rarely spoke about her art. We thought she just wanted to be able to provide … Read More

Sheojuk Etidlooie: Original Drawings

Exhibition opened November 14, 1998 Our perception of an artist is that technique can be learned but talent is latent, lying dormant until stirred by opportunity. Sheojuk’s opportunity came late in life. She did not begin to draw until she was in her mid-60’s, as the result of a chance occurrence. Barely six months later, the first of her distinctive … Read More

Shuvinai Ashoona at the 2022 Venice Biennale

Congratulations to Shuvinai Ashoona on her epic installation of drawings on view at the 2022 Venice Biennale. She was also awarded one of two special mentions for the Biennale’s Official Awards, alongside American artist Lynn Hershman Leeson. On Ashoona’s work, the jury commented: “Shuvinai Ashoona reveals in her drawings and paintings a profundity of indigenous Inuk cosmogonies. An existence in … Read More