Ulukhaktok (Holman Island) is a small settlement located on Victoria Island in the Inuvialuit region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Renamed from Holman to Ulukhaktok in 2006, the name was changed back to the original Inuit name which means ‘area from which the materials for making ulu knives comes’. The community overlooks the Amundsen Gulf and is renowned for its … Read More
The Old Ways: A Conversation Between Father and Son
Kananginak Pootoogook (1935-2010) was in the vanguard of artists who introduced the medium of printmaking to Kinngait. In addition to taking part in the early experimentation, he became a master printer and garnered an international following for his sculptures and graphic works. His youngest son, Johnny Pootogook would be the only one of his children to become an artist. Born … Read More
Six Decades of Drawing
For more than three decades, Feheley Fine Arts has presented rare, early drawings by Inuit artists, including many early Kinngait works dating from 1959-1969, drawings that continue to be sought after by collectors. The West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative still owns the lion’s share of these early drawings – some 90,000 are now housed at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and … Read More
The Private Series: Widding Collection
On display in the Ithaca home of Mary and Fred Widding lay a remarkable array of Inuit sculptures. Now, transitioning from the intimate settings of their home to Feheley Fine Arts, this exceptional collection not only showcases a diverse spectrum of styles, materials, and narratives, but also embodies a profound reverence for carvings from the North. Mary Widding notes that … Read More
Contemporary Land: The Birth of Contemporary Drawing in the North
Contemporary Drawing in Kinngait, 1995–2015 Drawing holds a long history at the Kinngait Studios. For many artists it served as their introduction to artmaking, as graphite pencil and paper were among the first media available to in the late 1950s and early 1960s. While drawings were purchased by the co-op, they were seldom marketed for sale and prints dominated the … Read More
Patricia Feheley talks about “Rarities & Fusion”
In May 2023 the gallery was thrilled to present a double-feature exhibition event showcasing two stellar shows: Rarities – Coveted Cape Dorset prints; and Fusion – Collaborative Drawings. At the opening reception on May 27, Pat Feheley spoke on the importance of collaboration at the Kinngait Studios and its integral existence since the very first printmaking experiments in the late … Read More
Fusion: Collaborative Drawings
The notion of collaboration has existed at the Kinngait Studios since its inception. In the late 1950s, the concept of printmaking was introduced involving two players—artist and printer—to work in tandem to produce a graphic. Fast forward to 2022: Johnny Pootoogook, Shuvinai Ashoona, and Quvianaqtuk Pudlat each collaborate on a single drawn composition titled Head of a Wolf —the result … Read More
Rarities: Coveted Cape Dorset Prints
Where were you in 1962 when Parr’s compelling stonecut Man and Whale was released in the Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection? Would anyone then have predicted that the young co-operative art studio in a small Arctic hamlet would go on to become the longest continuously-running print studio in Canada? Today, prints from the annual collections sit in private and public … Read More
Graphite: Early Drawings from Kinngait
Thirty years ago, almost to the day, the seminal exhibition Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings opened at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario. Curated by Susan Gustavison and Jean Blodgett, the show marked the first public exhibition that placed a focus on the early graphite drawings of the late-1950s and early-1960s. Blodgett explained that the “strange scenes” … Read More
Twelve by Twelve
We are pleased to present the group exhibition Twelve by Twelve, featuring 12 stellar works by 12 great Inuit artists. Expertly selected by Pat Feheley herself, these works represent the breadth and diversity in style and subject presented by artists from the Canadian North. Artists in the show come primarily from Kinngait, Nunavut, with the exception of Niap who was … Read More
Glowing in the Winter Light
Feheley Fine Arts is pleased to present a selection of stained glass works, recently re-released from the Kinngait Studio archives. Made between 2005-2009, these fine works of colourful glass take the bold graphic images of Kinngait’s foremost artists, and translate them into a beautifully delicate art form. Glowing in the Winter Light features works by artists Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013), Arnaqu … Read More
The Ivujivik Collective
Beginning in October 2020, a collective of four artists living in Ivujivik, Nunavik undertook a major printmaking project. Over a number of months, artists Qumaq Iyaituk, Passa Mangiuk, Louisa Kanarjuak, and Lyne Bastien worked in tandem to each create several series of monoprints that were individual to each artist, yet when viewed together, represent a cohesive whole and a collective … Read More