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
URSUS MARITIMUS: Polar Bears in Inuit Art
By Edd J. Guarino In Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit, the word for polar bear is nanook, or nanuq. Its Latin name is ursus maritimus. These huge animals are a fact of life in the Arctic. Their huge size and power make them very impressive creatures. The Inuit have been hunting polar bears for millennia, along with other Arctic animals. For generations, Inuit culture … Read More
Themes in Inuit Art: Drum Dancing
If you follow Inuit art you are most certainly familiar with the image of the drum dancer, depicted in sculpture, prints, and drawings since the 1960s. Artists like Aqjangajuk Shaa, Abraham Anghik Ruben and Luke Anguhadluq are renowned for their renditions of the subject, often a dynamic figure bending their entire body to mimic the powerful beat of the drum. Long … Read More
Sedna: The Sea Goddess
The traditional Inuit world is a place of enchantment, filled with strange spirits and supernatural beings. Governed by the unpredictable forces of nature, the Inuit used this mythology to explain, and perhaps control, these natural forces. In traditional times the spirit world was central to their culture; today, it has provided inspiration for some of the most lyrical and compelling … Read More
Michael Massie’s Print “At Home With Kenojuak”
In September 2024, Michael Massie and I travelled to St. John’s, Newfoundland to meet with one of the printmakers at St. Michael’s Print Shop, a renowned printing studio. Michael had recently turned to creating graphic art and wished to revisit printmaking, a media he had not pursued since his student years. St. Michael’s was not only the obvious choice as … Read More
The Ulu
The ulu, known in Inuktitut as ᐅᓗ (ulu), translates to “woman’s knife.” This crescent-shaped blade is traditionally used by Inuit women and is passed down through several generations. In Inuit culture, it is considered an honour to receive an ulu from an older female relative. [2] The ulu serves various purposes, including cleaning skins, filleting fish, cutting meat for communal … Read More
The Kayak
In the freezing temperatures of the Northern Arctic, Inuit hunters invented the nimble qajaq, or kayak, to enhance their hunting skills in sealing, whaling and coastline expeditions on the icy waters. Known as the ‘man’s boat’ or the ‘hunter’s boat’ in various Inuktitut dialects, the kayak was hand-crafted from locally available materials. While materials vary depending on their region, in … Read More
Shuvinai Ashoona Receives Governor General’s Award
We are thrilled to share the news of Shuvinai Ashoona being honoured with the Governor General’s Awards in Visual Arts, a testament to her remarkable impact on Canadian art. Shuvinai’s unique talent for blending vivid storytelling with elements of fantasy, realism, and nostalgia have rightfully earned her this esteemed recognition, the highest honour for visual and media arts in Canada. … Read More
“Kenojuak Ashevak: To Make Something Beautiful” Collector’s talk
Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak, over her lifetime, became a national and international art star; Companion of the Order of Canada, and the holder of two honorary degrees, as well as the subject of several books and films. She was born in a camp near Kinngait in 1927. The exhibition, Kenojuak Ashevak: To Make Something Beautiful features incredibly rare and coveted … Read More
Kenojuak Ashevak: To Make Something Beautiful
(Digitized catalogue below) “For my subject matter I don’t start off and pick a subject as such; that’s not my way of addressing a drawing. My way of doing it is to start without a preconceived plan of exactly what I am going to execute in full, and so I come up with a small part of it which is … Read More
Kenojuak Ashevak: Queen of Canadian Art
This blog comes from a two-part series from guest writer, Edd Guarino. Edd is an established contemporary art collector, specializing in Native American and Inuit Art. For art lovers and collectors worldwide, Kenojuak Ashevak’s prints are the face of both Inuit and contemporary Canadian art. Though famous for her prints, Kenojuak produced art in a variety of other media such … Read More
Kenojuak Ashevak: A Collector’s View
Even when she was well into her eighties, Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak (usually simply referred to as Kenojuak) continued to produce powerful images that were always fresh and surprising. Her unique vision made her one of Canada’s most important contemporary artists whose work is sought after by museums and collectors worldwide. Her body of work ranges from highly stylized representational … Read More