Kenojuak Ashevak: Life and Legacy
With a career spanning more than five decades, Kenojuak Ashevak (1927 – 2013) was part of a pioneering generation of Arctic creators from Kinngait (Cape Dorset) in Nunavut. She enjoyed an illustrious international career and continues to be regarded as one of Canada’s preeminent Inuit artists and cultural icons. Since beginning to experiment with drawing in the 1950s, she has produced a vast body of work, mainly utilizing graphite, coloured pencils and felt-tip pens on paper.
Six-Part Harmony, 2012, ink coloured pencil on paper
Kenojuak approached her work with a strong creative intuition. Her drawings would emerge almost unconsciously – a process she would describe as her hand leading her mind. Her aesthetic approach is easily noticeable, with archetypal drawings that captured images of birds, fish, bears and mystical figures. Her highly idiosyncratic imagery is perhaps one of the most recognizable of any Canadian artist and has been included on stamps, coins and, more recently, the ten-dollar banknote. Kenojuak’s work exudes a bright vibrant energy with a touch of whimsy, all wrapped in a pure wonder for the natural world. Her work has been featured in nearly every Cape Dorset Annual Print Release since 1959. Her images have also been shown throughout Canada, the United States and abroad, and are included in numerous public and private collections.
This exhibition comprises never-before-exhibited drawings from the archives of the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative, which have inspired some of Kenojuak’s most emblematic prints in stonecut, lithography and etching. The inaugural exhibition at the Kenojuak Cultural Centre in Kinngait, Kenojuak Ashevak: Life and Legacy is the first exhibition produced in the Canadian Arctic, for circulation nationally. The accompanying publication, in Inuktitut, French, English, is produced in partnership with Pomegranate Communications.
Photo: Ansgar Walk
About the Artist
With a career spanning more than five decades, Kinngait Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak (1927–2013) was part a pioneering generation of Arctic creators. She enjoyed an illustrious international career and continues to be recognized as one of Canada’s preeminent Inuit artists and cultural icons. Since beginning to experiment with drawing in the 1950s, she produced a vast body of work, mainly utilizing graphite, coloured pencils and felt-tip pens on paper. Kenojuak approached her work with a strong creative intuition – her drawings emerged almost unconsciously, a process she would describe as her hand leading her mind. Her idiosyncratic style is easily recognizable, with archetypal drawings that capture images of birds, fish, bears and mystical figures; her aesthetic approach is perhaps the most recognizable of any Canadian artist. Kenojuak’s work exudes a bright vibrant energy with a touch of whimsy, all wrapped in a pure wonder for the natural world. Nearly every Cape Dorset Annual Print Release since 1959 and until her death in 2013, has featured work by Kenojuak. Her images have been exhibited throughout Canada, United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Sweden, South Korea and Japan among other countries. Her work is in numerous public and private collections internationally.
Publication
Kenojuak Ashevak was a matriarch of modern Inuit art. Raised on the land in an isolated Arctic community, she went on to break artistic gender barriers, set sales records, and lead her people through profound social change. Kenojuak created complex, rich images with intertwining, overlapping, and flowing forms. She was innovative, with an intuitive sense of composition and an instinct for depicting the interconnectedness of all living things. She lived a life of resilience through personal tragedy, and she created beauty and joy through her prolific art. Kenojuak Ashevak: Life and Legacy is the companion to the traveling exhibition of the same name, presenting dozens of Kenojuak’s prints side by side with their original drawings. In English, French, and Inuktitut, a foreword by Kenojuak’s daughter Silaqi Ashevak introduces readers to life with her famous mother, and an essay by curator Leslie Boyd provides a full, touching history of this pioneering artist of the Far North.
Project Supporters
West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative is pleased to acknowledge the generous contribution of lead supporter Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Additional support from the Government of Nunavut through its Department of Culture and Heritage, has made possible this national touring exhibition and associated publication.
Exhibition Inventory
This exhibition features 31 exquisite drawings and three masterful prints. The inventory represents the creative output of Kenojuak Ashevak at the latter part of her career spanning 1994 until her death in 2013.
