Janet Kigusiuq’s early graphics were energetic black-and-white depictions of people immersed in daily life and traditional activities. In the late 1980s she “discovered” colour and gradually transformed her work into powerful explorations of abstract colour fields. Untitled (Four Figures Sleeping) exemplifies this shift, where bold blocks of colour command the composition. Complementary orange and green define each couple’s sleeping space, contrasted against a pink ground. The pillows are rendered as bands of yellow and orange, while a plum-coloured stripe adds depth to the background. True to her late style, Kigusiuq uses the white of the sheet to define the figures' faces, capturing their tranquil expressions with simple smiles, noses, and closed eyes. The entire scene is enclosed by a vibrant lime-green border, intensifying the sense of intimate seclusion within this private moment.

References: For some biographical information about the artist see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), p. 134-135. For further notes on her work on paper, prime examples of Kigusiuq’s drawings from all periods of her career are reproduced in Cynthia Waye, The Urge to Abstraction: The graphic art of Janet Kigusiuq, (Toronto: Museum of Inuit Art, 2008). See also Kigusiuq and Her Contemporaries, exh. cat., (Toronto: Feheley Fine Arts, 2007).