2017 CAPE DORSET Annual Print Collection © Copyright 2017 Dorset Fine Arts is a Division of West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The copyright in the works of art reproduced herein is the property of the artists. Reproduced herein is by special arrangement with the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd., agents for the artists who own the copyright of the works of art. _______________________________________________________________________________ ALL PRINTS IN THE ANNUAL COLLECTION ARE IN EDITIONS OF FIFTY (50) unless noted. In addition, five proofs have been pulled. The printer is indicated by the personal chop which appears on each print. Each of the prints is individually signed by the artist with the exception of print numbers 1, 3 and 4 signed by Mary Pitsiulak Spelling correction: As of March 2017 Ningeokuluk Teevee is now Ningiukulu Teevee All sizes are given in centimeters, height before width. Paper sizes will vary from print to print. Dorset Series prints are available through West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd in Cape Dorset Special Releases & Commission prints are available through the galleries noted. _______________________________________________________________________________ CREDITS Content Editor: Kate Vasyliw, John Westren, Paige Connell Designer: David Hannan Printing: Colour Innovations Inc Printed in Canada www.dorsetfinearts.com Foreword On a recent trip to Cape Dorset, I sat down with the artists and printmakers at Kinngait Studios in hopes of learning more about the inspiration and processes behind their work in the 58th Annual Print Collection. I quickly learned that their artwork goes beyond aesthetics. Unlike many Southern artists, the artists from this picturesque hamlet in Nunavut seldom receive formal training in studio arts, so their artistic practices are largely informed by mentorship and collaboration within the community. The resulting prints simultaneously embody tradition and contemporaneity, creating a captivating visual record of both the history and present day culture of Kinngait. One of the youngest artists, Ooloosie Saila, has only been working with the studio for a year, but art has always been a vital part of her life growing up in Cape Dorset. When she was a young girl, Ooloosie remembers watching in awe as her friend’s grandmother, the celebrated Inuk artist Kenojuak Ashevak, worked on her drawings in their home. Ooloosie looked on smiling as we flipped through prints in this year’s collection, enthusiastically pointing out the works of distinguished artists and community leaders like Nuna Parr, Pitaloosie Saila, Ningiukulu Teevee, Shuvinai Ashoona, and the late Tim Pitsiulak, who tragically passed away in December of 2016. An ornate drawing of a yellow owl is the first work of Ooloosie’s to be reproduced as a stonecut print Ornamental Owl 17-13 which, to her delight, is included in this year’s collection. She spoke about her experience getting to work with stonecutter Qiatsuq Niviaqsi excitedly announcing, “I got to choose the colour!” Senior lithographer Niveaksie Quvinaqtuliaq, who has been working at Kinngait Studios since the early 90’s, explained that the proofing process could take as long as two months, so a close relationship between printmaker and artist is critical. Transforming the original drawing into a print requires the technical expertise of the lithographer or stonecutter to effectively communicate the artist’s creative vision—a collaborative spirit that exists throughout the entire community. With 10 works in the collection, my conversation with Ningiukulu Teevee was a remarkably catalytic moment in my understanding of how essential art production is to the members of this small Arctic community. I had already developed an enormous admiration for her whimsical and expressive depictions of animals and life in the North, but listening to Ningiukulu describe the narratives behind each image pushed me to view each of the works in the collection through a new lens. She explained some of her works were simply the product of her imagination, whereas others were inspired by stories she had grown up with or Inuit legends she has studied in her adult life. One story in particular entirely transformed the way I saw the print it had inspired—that of the owl and the raven Raven’s Boots 17-29. According to Ningiukulu’s account, long ago, both the raven and the owl were white until, one day, they agreed to paint each other’s feathers with soot. The raven painted the owl first, and the owl was so happy with his new look that he gave the raven a pair of boots as a thank you. When it was the raven’s turn to be painted, he was so excited with his new footwear that he couldn’t sit still, and the owl had to paint the raven all black. Ningiukulu’s drawing of a raven’s head with a small pair of boots peeking out in the corner provides a playful and distinctly contemporary perspective on this well-known Inuit legend. I approached this work with the mind of a collegiate art historian, however, Ningiukulu showed me that her drawings demand more than simple formal analysis, as they are truly material expressions of Inuit culture. After our conversation I thanked Ningiukulu for taking the time to share these stories, and for welcoming me into her beautiful hometown. “Cape Dorset is the best place in the world,” she responded, a sentiment that is documented by every drawing she creates. Artist and seasoned stonecutter Qavavau Manumie’s work illustrating a shaman calling on the polar bear spirit to help his people may seem entirely incongruent Arniniq Inuusiq (Breath of Life) 17-10 with Saimaiyu Akesuk’s graphic, almost neon, bird prints, but they are each the product of this remarkable artistic tradition. Through its inclusion of works by individuals from multiple generations, this collection is fundamentally Inuit in content, while still showcasing the diverse styles and perspectives of these contemporary artists in Cape Dorset. - Claire Foussard TIM PITSIULAK QUVIANAQTUK PUDLAT SAIMAIYU AKESUK KAKULU SAGGIAKTOK QAVAVAU MANUMIE ANNIE PARR NICOTYE SAMAYUALIE OOLOOSIE SAILA NUNA PARR PITALOOSIE SAILA CEE POOTOOGOOK MALAIJA POOTOOGOOK SHUVINAI ASHOONA SIMEONIE TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE 2017 CAPE DORSET Annual Print Collection TIM PITSIULAK 1. 2. 3. TIM PITSIULAK TIM PITSIULAK TIM PITSIULAK 1. Soper River Crossing 2. Sedna’s Rescue 3. Qilalugaq (Beluga) Stonecut Stonecut Stonecut Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Paper: Kizuki Kozo Natural Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Printer: Qiatsuq Niviaqsi Printer: Qavavau Manumie Printer: Qavavau Manumie 35.5 x 94.2 cm 54.5 x 70.5 cm 61.8 x 97 cm 4. TIM PITSIULAK 4. Ancient Beluga Etching & Chine Collé Paper: Arches White & Tengu-Jo Tissue Blue Printer: Studio PM 64 x 80 cm QUVIANAQTUK PUDLAT 5. QUVIANAQTUK PUDLAT 5. Sparring Owls Stonecut Paper: Torinoko Kozo Natural Printer: Qiatsuq Niviaqsi 68.8 x 48.6 cm SAIMAIYU AKESUK 8. 6. SAIMAIYU AKESUK 6. Together Stonecut & Stencil Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Printer: Cee Pootoogook 82.3 x 62 cm 7. SAIMAIYU AKESUK 7. Exuberant Spirit Lithograph Paper: BFK Rives White Printer: Niveaksie Quvianaqtuliaq 76.5 x 57 cm 8. SAIMAIYU AKESUK 8. Transfiguration Lithograph Paper: BFK Rives White Printer: Niveaksie Quvianaqtuliaq 49 x 38.3 cm KAKULU SAGGIAKTOK 9. KAKULU SAGGIAKTOK 9. Counting Caribou Etching & Aquatint Paper: Arches White Printer: Studio PM 79.7 x 86.5 cm QAVAVAU MANUMIE 10. ANNIE PARR 11. NICOTYE SAMAYUALIE 6. 6. 12. QAVAVAU MANUMIE ANNIE PARR NICOTYE SAMAYUALIE 10. Arniniq Inuusiq (Breath of Life) 11. Roaming Bears 12. Morning Breeze Stonecut and Stencil Etching & Aquatint Etching & Aquatint Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Paper: Arches White Paper: Arches White Printer: Qavavau Manumie Printer: Studio PM Printer: Studio PM 62 x 79 cm 34 x 47 cm 80 x 87 cm OOLOOSIE SAILA 13. OOLOOSIE SAILA NUNA PARR PITALOOSIE SAILA 13. Ornamental Owl 14. Hunting Bear 15. Loon & Char Stonecut Etching & Aquatint Stonecut Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Paper: Arches White Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Printer: Qiatsuq Niviaqsi Printer: Studio PM Printer: Ashoona Ashoona 45.8 x 61.8 cm 48.4 x 56.8 cm 53.5 x 62 cm NUNA PARR SIMEONIE TEEVEE 14. PITALOOSIE SAILA 15. CEE POOTOOGOOK 16. CEE POOTOOGOOK CEE POOTOOGOOK MALAIJA POOTOOGOOK 16. Summer Buzz 17. Jubilant Bird 18. Clash Etching & Aquatint Etching & Aquatint Etching & Aquatint Paper: Arches White Paper: Arches White Paper: Arches White Printer: Studio PM Printer: Studio PM Printer: Studio PM 80 x 100.7 cm 61 x 64.5 cm 76.8 x 110.9 cm 17. MALAIJA POOTOOGOOK 18. SHUVINAI ASHOONA 19. SHUVINAI ASHOONA 19. Journey to the Past Etching & Aquatint Paper: Hahnemuhle Copperplate Bright White Printer: Open Studio 40.7 x 39.3 cm SIMEONIE TEEVEE 20. SIMEONIE TEEVEE 20. Saputiit (Handmade Fish Weir) Stonecut & Stencil Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Printer: Ashoona Ashoona 47.5 x 67 cm NINGIUKULU TEEVEE 21. NINGIUKULU TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE 21. Caribou Legs 22. Tundra Waves 23. Nocturnal Owl Stonecut Lithograph Lithograph Paper: Kizuki Kozo Natural Paper: Arches Cover White Paper: BFK Rives Cream Printer: Tapaungai Niviaqsi Printer: Niveaksie Quvianaqtuliaq Printer: Niveaksie Quvianaqtuliaq 81.4 x 61.5 cm 33 x 30 cm 34 x 31 cm 22. 23. 24. NINGIUKULU TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE 24. Tiguaq (Adopted) 25. Ptarmigans 26. Innocent Owl Stonecut Stonecut & Stencil Etching & Aquatint Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Paper: Arches White Printer: Qiatsuq Niviaqsi Printer: Tapaungai Niviaqsi Printer: Studio PM 39.3 x 52 cm 30.5 x 36.5 cm 46 x 47 cm 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. NINGIUKULU TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE NINGIUKULU TEEVEE 27. Flirtatious Owl 28. Mythical Kudlik 29. Raven’s Boots Lithograph Stonecut & Stencil Stonecut & Stencil Paper: Arches Cover White Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Paper: Kizuki Kozo White Printer: Niveaksie Quvianaqtuliaq Printer: Cee Pootoogook Printer: Tapaungai Niviaqsi 57 x 76.5 cm 38 x 34.5 cm 34.5 x 31 cm 30.