Tumiit ᑐᒦᑦ

Welcome/Tunngasugitsi/ᑐᙵᓱᒋᑦᓯ Tumiit is a visual survey of Inuit art history, past and present. It is meant to complement an in-progress database of the same name.

[tumiit-blog]

Pitseolak Niviaqsi

Dancing Sednas, n.d.

[maybeedmonton]

“An Inuit woman from Aklavik, Laura, poses behind the wheel of a car in front of the Templeman Bros. store in Edmonton, Alberta. An unknown man sits in the back seat.” (no date) 

[bluecrowcafe]

Caribou Antler Horn Seal, Inuit, ca 1952, Canada, Baffin Island, Nunavut

[arcticmuseum]

This bird spear is another example of the walrus as a source of material for tools. The triple pronged head is made from carved walrus ivory while the shaft is made of driftwood rubbed with red ochre. Wood is a scarce resource in the treeless Arctic tundra and so Inuit craftspeople often used driftwood or an alternate material (such as bone) in its place. Of particular interest to me was the delicate knot work that helps hold the prongs to the shaft.

[terresauvage]

[tri-ciclo]

Kenojuak Ashevak (1937) Sans titre Dessin au crayon et feutre noir

[terresauvage]

Jamasie Pitseolak

Hand-Eye Coordination, 2011 

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Jamasie Pitseolak and his ridiculous puns make me so happy.

[tumiit-blog]

Novoalia Alariaq

Nude Woman, 1985

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From Walker's Auctions:

The depiction of the nude human figure, while not rare, as certainly not been a commonplace subject in Inuit art. If you factor in depictions of the sea goddess and other sea spirits, however, the depiction of the naked female form has been fairly widespread. The degree of eroticism in these depictions varies according to the sensibilities of the artists concerned, whether they are male or female, and perhaps their age as well. Novoalia’s carving of a nude woman might be considered mildly erotic to some, though it is hardly titillating; the subject is depicted as robust, not flirtatious.

[vicecanada]

TANYA TAGAQ'S CUTE SEALFIE PISSED OFF A LOT OF IDIOTS

Last week we reported on “sealfies,” a “tongue-in-cheek protest to all these very serious animal rights activists.” The seal is essentially an Inuit natural resource. Eat them, wear them, use the bones for toys or sell their furs on the open market. The Inuit’s relationship with the seal goes back to time immemorial.

READ MORE

[tumiit-blog]

Kivalliq youth create one-of-a-kind murals

Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Baker Lake all have new, original murals thanks to three workshops hosted by the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association last month.

[tumiit-blog]

Jimmy Manning

Houses in Cape Dorset, n.d.

[tumiit-blog]

The recently revived Inuit Art Foundation is looking for new ways to promote northern art practice at home and abroad.

[theolduvaigorge]

Inuit carved figures (20th century):

Top: Caribou; antler (Canada, Nunavut, Pelly Bay; 1954)

Second row: Seagull with fish, Inuki; ivory  (Canada, Baffin Island, Nunavut; ca. 1951)

Third row left:  Seal; ivory (United States, Alaska; 20th century)

Third row right: Seal; Walrus ivory (Canada, Baffin Island, Nunavut; 18th-19th century)

Fourth row: Seal; Caribou antler and ink (Canada, Baffin Island, Nunavut; ca. 1952)

Fifth row left: Walrus, Annawakalook; ivory and ink (Canada, Baffin Island, Nunavut; ca. 1950)

Fifth row right: Wolf; antler (Canada, Nunavut, Pelly Bay; 1954)

Bottom: Bear, Marion Wenaka; ivory (United States, Alaska; 20th century)

See also:

Auger, E.E. 2004. The Way of Inuit Art: Aesthetics and History in and Beyond the Arctic. MacFardland Press.

Crandall, R.C. 1999. Inuit Art: A History. MacFarland Press.

Graburn, N.H.H. 1987. “Inuit Art and the Expression of Eskimo Identity,” American Review of Canadian Studies 17(1).

Graburn, N.H.H. 2004. “Authentic Inuit Art Creation and Exclusion in the Canadian North,” Journal of Material Culture 9(2):141-159.

Graburn, N. 2004. “Inuksuk: Icon of the Inuit of Nunavut,” Art et Représentation 28(1):69-82.

Philips, R.B and Steiner, C.B.1999. Unpacking Culture - Art and Commodity in colonial and Postcolonial Worlds. University of California Press.

Pupchek, L.S. 2001. “True North: Inuit Art and the Canadian Imagination,” American Review of Canadian Studies 31(1-2):191-208.

Ray, D.J. 1996. A Legacy of Arctic Art. University of Washington Press.

(Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City).

[terresauvage]

[tumiit-blog]

Fifteen Nunavut carvers have been hard at work recreating some of Nunavut’s iconic buildings in soapstone as part of Canada’s first northern-themed entry to the 2014 Venice Biennale in Architecture.

[terresauvage]

Itee Pootoogook

Fuel Tank, 2011

"We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of leading contemporary Inuit artist Itee Pootoogook (born 1951) following a battle with cancer. Itee created distinct and powerful images of life in the north and was best known in recent years for his large format drawings. His works have the haunting simplicity of Alex Colville’s paintings, while bringing a scale and monumentality to the details and daily rituals of contemporary Inuit life. Along with fellow Inuit artists Shuvinai Ashoona, Tim Pitsiuolak and Jutai Toonoo, Itee brought international and critical attention to an important and bold new approach to art in the north and inspired an emerging generation of artists. He will be missed and has left us too soon."

- Andrew Hunter, Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art

[tumiit-blog]

Kananginak Pootoogook

Untitled, 2009

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