Artist Itee Pootoogook (1951–2014) was known as Kinngait Studios’ most meticulous draftsman. Born in Lake Harbour (Kimmirut), Pootoogook moved with his family to Cape Dorset (Kinngait) as a young child in the late-1950s. Like many, he was born into an artistic family: established carver Paulassie Pootoogook was his father and artists Kananginak, Eegevudluk, and photographer Peter Pitseolak, were his uncles. … Read More
Inuit Art at Masterpiece London
This week Pat Feheley travelled to London, England for Masterpiece London. The annual international art fair features 150 exhibitors showcasing art from all eras—antiquity to 2019. Masterpiece’s variety makes it one of London’s most anticipated art events of the year. RBC, principal sponsor of Masterpiece London, welcomed works by contemporary Inuit artists to be featured in this year’s RBC lounge. … Read More
Opening Reception: Niap “Ivalu”
In May 2019, Feheley Fine Arts presented Niap’s first solo exhibition of works on paper entitled Ivalu. Meaning ‘sinew thread’, Ivalu featured of a series of ink drawings on which the artist stitched tattoos in the traditional manner of Inuit tattooing. This exhibition was the culmination of Niap’s visual exploration of traditional tattoo marks. In conjunction with the opening reception, … Read More
Shuvinai Ashoona: Mapping Worlds Travels to Prince Edward Island
Shuvinai Ashoona’s acclaimed solo exhibition Mapping Worlds is on the road! The show, which saw its first iteration at the Power Plant Contemporary Gallery in Toronto, is currently on view at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The best of Shuvinai’s oeuvre is on display: fantastical monsters, portraits of people from her community, imagery from … Read More
Opening Reception: Mathew Nuqingaq – Masquerade
For someone well recognized for his “masks”– as in his famous array of wildly imaginative snow goggles – Mathew Nuqingaq proved to be disarmingly forthright about his emotions at the opening of his Masquerade exhibition. The goggles themselves are playful, yet at the same time they display an exceptionally high standard of craftsmanship. Whether working with muskox horn, antler, baleen, … Read More
Mathew Nuqingaq: Masquerade
Feheley Fine Arts is pleased to present Masquerade: a solo exhibition of works by Iqaluit-based artist and jeweller, Mathew Nuqingaq (b. 1964). On display are the artist’s phantasmagoric snow goggles which offer a contemporary twist on the eyewear traditionally worn by Inuit and Yupik to prevent snow blindness. Nuqingaq’s works are wearable—sculptural yet functional—and combine diverse materials such as muskox … Read More
Niap – Ivalu: Tattooed
We’ve hosted drum dances and throat singing and many other forms of Inuit performance. But never a live tattooing session. It took someone with the force of personality of Niap – aka Nancy Saunders – to make it happen within our walls. Niap herself is on a roll. It seems like everything she imagines is becoming reality. She has several … Read More
Mathew Nuqingaq: “Masquerade”
Mathew Nuqingaq is a drum dancer, performance artist, photographer, sculptor, jewelry maker and Member of the Order of Canada. He’s principally known for his wearable works of art that draw on traditional Inuit stories and symbols. Recently, a pair of his antler earrings made it onto the cover of Maclean’s magazine, worn by none other than former federal cabinet minister, … Read More
Niap: Ivalu
Feheley Fine Arts is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of works on paper by Niap (b. 1986), entitled Ivalu. Meaning ‘sinew thread’, Ivalu consists of a series of ink drawings on which the artist sewed tattoos on female bodies, women’s hands and family portraits with either wax thread or sinew, in the traditional manner of Inuit tattooing. The … Read More
Papier 2019 to be the Biggest Ever
There’s lots of change coming to the annual Papier show of contemporary art in Montreal. The most dramatic shift is the fair’s location, from its previous home at the Arsenal Contemporary Art venue, to the Grand Quay in the old Port of Montreal. The site is a new cruise ship terminal that opened in 2017. It more than doubles the … Read More
Ooloosie Saila – The Journey is Rewarded
It’s hard to imagine what was going through Ooloosie Saila’s mind as she made her long pilgrimage to Toronto from her home in Kinngait (Cape Dorset). It’s always an adventure when flying across the Arctic, with multiple flights to catch and unpredictable weather. Ooloosie wasn’t just making her second trip south of the Arctic Circle and her first time in … Read More
Ooloosie Saila: Horizons
Feheley Fine Arts is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of drawings by Ooloosie Saila (b. 1991), entitled Ooloosie Saila: Horizons. A rising star, Saila is at the forefront of a new generation of artists emerging in Kinngait (Cape Dorset). The exhibition features her concentrated colour-pencil landscape drawings and whimsical portraits of owls. Working in the Art Studios in … Read More