“A star-making display of Inuit art” – Toronto Star
ᐊᐅᔭᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᐅᒥ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᖅᓯᐅᕈᑎᖃᕐᒪᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᑦᑕ ᑲᑎᑎᑦᓯᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᒪᕐᕉᓐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᒻᒪᕇᓐᓂᒃ − ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ ᓄᐊᑯᓗᖓᓗ ᑎᒻᒨᑎ (ᑎᒻ) ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ − ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᑎᓐᓂ. ᐋᓯᕙᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓲᒃ ᑭᖑᕚᕇᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑏᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔫᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓈᖅᑎᒥᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᓪᓗ ᓄᑖᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕈᓯᒃᑯᑦ. ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒻᒥ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᐅᒥ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᐹᒥ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕕᖓᓂ, ᑕᐃᔭᐅᔪᖅ Sam & Ayala Zacks Pavilion, ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᐊᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᑯᒻᒥᒃ ᐃᓱᒪᖃᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ. ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓪᓗᐊᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᓂᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑏᒃ, ᑕᑯᓂᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᑯᒍᓐᓇᑦᓯᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᐃᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᖓᓃᙶᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᐃᓅᑉ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᓚᒍᑦᓯᐅᔾᔨᓯᒪᕙᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᑎᓂᖅᐹᖓᓄᑦ.
This summer the AGO celebrates the power of Inuit art by bringing together two extraordinary artists – Kenojuak Ashevak and her nephew Timootee (Tim) Pitsiulak – in our major exhibition of the season. Ashevak and Pitsiulak represent two generations of Inuit artists who have challenged viewers to respond to their art and the Inuit world view in new ways. The exhibition will be the first time Inuit art is showcased in the AGO’s largest exhibition space, the Sam & Ayala Zacks Pavilion, and will be Pitsiulak’s first major gallery retrospective. The exhibition will feature key art works and sketches by each artist, enabling visitors to appreciate the strength of drawing as an expression of Inuit cultural heritage that engages everyday life at its deepest level.
Organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario in partnership with Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage, with the support of Dorset Fine Arts, a division of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative.
Lead Sponsor
Lead Supporter
Generously supported by
With assistance from
Government Partner
Organizing Partner
ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᓅᖓᔪᑦ
ᑭᙵᕐᓃᓐᙶᖅᑑᒃ (ᑕᐃᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ Cape Dorset) ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ (1927–2013), ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᑖᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᔪᖅ “ᐊᓈᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓄᑦ.” ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᑕᐸᐃᕐᓇᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᐊᕈᑎᓂᒃ. ᐋᓯᕙᒃ ᐱᕕᐊᕆᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᑉ (1967–2016), ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒻᒪᕆᓕᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᖅᑕᐅᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓅᖓᔪᓄᑦ ᑮᑕᑲᐃᓐᓇᐹᓘᒐᓗᐊᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐆᒪᔪᙳᐊᓂᒃ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᑦᑎᐅᑉ ᐃᔨᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ, ᐊᑐᖅᓯᓐᓈᖅᓱᓂ ᐅᐊᔭᒨᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓃᙶᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ.
Hailing from Kinngait (previously known as Cape Dorset) Nunavut, Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013), an Order of Canada recipient, is known as the “grandmother of Inuit art.” She is famous for her fluid graphic storytelling and stunning use of magic markers. Ashevak heavily inspired Pitsiulak (1967–2016), who became a popular figure in Inuit art during his relatively short career for drawing animal figures with a hunter’s precision, and for capturing the technological presence of the South in the hamlet.
ᑲᓱᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᖔᖅᑏᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓂᐱᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ, ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᐅᓪᒥ ᖃᐃᖁᔨᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᑦᑕᑎᑦᓯᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑦᓴᕐᓂᑕᕐᓂᒃ (MICH) ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᖅᑐᑦ ᔪᐊᕐᒃ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᓴᕐᕕᔾᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᙵᐃᑦ ᑯᐊᐸᒃᑯᖏᑦ (WBEC) ᑲᑎᑎᑦᓯᓗᑎᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓱᐃᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓱᐃᔨᓂᓪᓗ.
ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓱᐃᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᑦ ᐅᑯᐊ:
ᖁᒻᒧᐊᑦᑐᖅ (ᑰᔨ) ᑰᓕ (ᐋᑐᕚ)
ᑕᕐᕋᓕᒃ ᐹᑐᕆᔾ (ᑲᐅᑐᑭᓄ, ᓄᐊᕖ)
ᔮᔅᓕᓐ ᐲᕋᐃᓇᓐ (ᐋᑐᕚ)
ᓛᒃᑯᓗᒃ ᐅᐃᓕᐊᒻᓴᓐ ᕚᖢᕆ (ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ)
ᔪᐊᔾᔩᓇ ᐅᓪᔭᕆᒃ, ᕗᕋᑐᕆᒃ ᓯ. ᐄᑕᓐ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓱᐃᔨ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᓄᓪᓗ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᔩᑦ, ᓱᓇᐅᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᐅᓪᒥ
ᐋᓇ ᕼᐊᑦᓴᓐ, ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᕐᔪᐊᖅ, ᔪᐊᕐᒃ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᓴᕐᕕᔾᔪᐊᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑎᓪᓗᐊᑕᐅᓗᓂ ᓄᑦᑕᑎᑦᓯᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑦᓴᕐᓂᑕᕐᓂᓪᓗ (MICH) ᐊᐅᓚᓂᕐᒥ
To link the work of these artists to Inuit voices today, the AGO has invited Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage (MICH) project at York University as well as the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative (WBEC) to bring together a curatorial team comprising of Inuit artists and curators.
This team includes:
Find out more about the team and their curatorial approach.
Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory performing her poem I am the light of happiness. Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory is an uaajeerneq (Greenlandic mask dance) performer, an Inuk artist and a co-curator of Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak at the Art Gallery of Ontario
Taqralik Partridge is an Inuk spoken word performer and writer, originally from Kuujjuak, Nunavik and now living in Kautokeino, northern Norway. She is one of the co-curators of Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak. Her stories about Inuit life and experience are included in the exhibition.
Tunirrusiangit, "their gifts" or "what they gave" in Inuktitut, celebrates the achievements of two remarkable artists who challenged the parameters of tradition while consistently articulating a compelling vision of the Inuit world view. Published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario, opening on 16 June and continuing until late August, Tunirrusiangit features more than 60 reproductions of paintings, drawings, and documentary photographs. Completing the book are essays by contemporary artists and curators Jocelyn Piirainen, Anna Hudson, Georgiana Uhlyarik, Koomuatuk Curley, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, and Taqralik Partridge that address both the past and future of Inuit identity.
