Annie Pootoogook startled the art world in 2003 with her simple depictions of everyday life in Kinngait, departing from mythological, narrative, or realistic subjects. Removing Grey Hairs is a classic example of Pootoogook’s signature domestic scenes. The artist depicts herself plucking out grey hairs from her mother’s head. This was a common occurrence; elders would ask others to remove grey hairs by using tweezers. These were carefully placed on the cover of a black book, usually a bible. All the common elements of interior scenes by the artist are present, from the clock to the tiled floor. Despite these common elements, each of her interior scenes is unique due to the artist’s unusual use of colour. As seen in this drawing, Pootoogook used disparate and sometimes jarring colour combinations. Despite these unrelated colours, she always succeeded in combining them harmoniously to create a serene, timeless snapshot of daily life.


References: For a drawing on the same theme see Composition (Plucking the Grey Hair) from 2004-05, illustrated in Nancy Campbell, Annie Pootoogook: Cutting Ice, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, September 2, 2017 – February 11, 2018. Catalogue: (Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions / Kleinburg: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2017), pp. 102-103.