For all its deliberately limited palette and sparsity, Eskimo Summer Tent contains a surprising amount of detail. Here, we encounter a charming glimpse inside a tupiq, the traditional summer tent made from seal or caribou skin. Its parted flaps fall open like curtains on a small stage, inviting us to peer inside to discover a woman who appears to be cooing to a small child seated on the raised threshold, while between them lies a small fish, presumably a char destined for supper.

The tent itself is anchored by a series of large, rounded stones, described by printmaker Osuitok Ipeelee as dark silhouettes spaced along the lower edge of the skin at pleasing, rhythmic intervals. On the open tundra, where soft ground or exposed rock could make conventional stakes impractical, such stones provided a simple and effective means of securing the tent against the wind.

Flanking the entrance are two long poles from which two fish have been hung to dry. Their elevated position is practical as well as picturesque, keeping the catch exposed to the air and safely beyond the reach of hungry dogs and other animals.

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