Itee Pootoogook (1951–2014), Rear of Canoe 2011, coloured pencil and graphite on black paper, 50.2 × 66 cm, Gift from the Christopher Bredt and Jamie Cameron Collection, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Exhibition Description
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is pleased to present a retrospective of over 80 drawings and ephemera by the late Itee Pootoogook (1951 – 2014) as part of an ongoing analysis of the careers of contemporary Inuit trailblazers.
As one of the key members of the third generation Inuit artists from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Pootoogook contributed to the transformation and reshaping of the creative traditions that were successfully pioneered in the second half of the 20th century by members of the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative, at Kinngait Studios. The son of artists Ishuhungitok and Paulassie Pootoogook, he began his practice in drawing, elementary animation and carving in the 1970s, becoming actively involved with the WBEC in the late 1990s.
Known as a meticulous draughtsman and inventive landscapist, Pootoogook looked primarily to contemporary northern life for his subject matter. Although some compositions are produced from a combination of memory and imagination, Pootoogook based many of his drawings on photographs, an aspect of his artistic process that further highlights his contemporaneity. The understated images celebrate the mundane moments that make up the everyday.
This exhibition is curated by Dr. Nancy Campbell.
ᐅᑯᐊ ᒥᒃᒪᐃᑯ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᐊᑦᓯᕕᐆᓲᖅ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒃᑐᑦ ᑐᓂᓯᔪᓐᓇᕋᒥᒃ ᐃᒻᒪᑲᓪᓚᒃ ᓴᓇᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᑯᕕᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖓᑖᓂ 80 ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓐᓂᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᓯᖃᓐᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᐃᓅᔪᓃᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᐃᑎ ᐳᑐᒍᖅ (1951-2014) ᒫᓐᓇᒧᑦ ᑎᑭᓪᓗᒍ ᖃᐅᔨᓇᓱᒃᑕᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇᐃᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ.
ᐅᓇ ᐃᓚᖓᑦ ᖃᑕᖑᑎᖓᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊᑦ ᐱᖓᔪᒋᓕᖅᑕᖓᓂᑦ ᐊᓈᓇᑦᓯᐊᒃᑯᖏᑦ ᐊᑖᑕᑦᓯᐊᒃᑯᖏᑦ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎᕕᓃᑦ ᐃᓅᐃᑦ ᑭᓐᖓᓂᑦ, ᐳᑐᒍᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑭᓱᕈᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᒐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᕿᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓴᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᒻᒪᕆᐋᓘᐃᑦ ᐃᒻᒪᑲᓪᓚᓂᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᓗ ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓯᒪᔭᓂ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ 20-ᖏᓂ ᐃᓅᓕᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᒍᐃᔅ ᐸᕕᑦ ᐃᔅᑭᒨ ᑯᐊᑉ, ᑭᓐᖓᓂ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᕕᒃ. ᐃᕐᓂᖓ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎᑦ ᐃᓱᕼᐅᖏᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐸᐅᓗᓯ ᐳᑐᒍᖅ, ᐱᔭᕆᐅᖅᓴᖃᑦᑕᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᖢᓂ, ᐱᒋᐊᓕᓵᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᕐᕆᔭᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᖢᒋᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᖓᓂᑦ 1970-ᓂ, ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑕᐅᑦᑎᖏᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᑖᒃᑯᑎᒍᑦ ᒍᐃᔅ ᐸᕕᓐ ᐃᔅᑭᒨ ᑯᐊᑉ ᐊᑖᓂ 1990-ᓂ.
ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᒋᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᒍᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᑭᓱᖑᐊᓕᒫᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᑯᒥᓇᖅᓯᑎᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᒍ ᓄᓇ, ᐳᑐᒍᖅ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᖢᒋᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇᐅᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᓴᕿᑎᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᑭᓱᖑᐊᑦ ᑲᑎᖓᔪᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᒥᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖑᐊᕋᔭᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᐳᑐᒍᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᕐᒥᔭᒋᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᔪᖏᑦᑎᐊᓕᕈᑎᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐅᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᓴᕿᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᒫᓐᓇᓕᓴᐅᒋᔭᓂ. ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑐᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᔪᕕᓂᕐᓂᒃ ᐱᓯᒪᓗᐊᕋᑎᒃ, ᐅᑯᐊ ᓴᕿᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᒋᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑎᒋᔭᓂ ᐃᖃᐅᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ.
ᐅᓇ ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᓚᖃᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᒥᒃ, ᑲᔪᓯᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᓄᖅᑑᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᒫᓐᓇ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎᖏᑦ. ᐅᑯᐊ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᖕᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᓂᒃ (ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᖃᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᑎᑎᖃᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᐃᖁᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᔪᖅ ᓈᓐᓯ ᑳᒻᐳ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᐅᓯᔾᔪᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐳᑐᒎᑉ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᔪᖏᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑎᐅᔪᓂᑦ ᐃᑦᑕᓂᑕᓂᒃ.
