We have spoken at length about Kinngait and its legacy as an artistic hub of northern Canada. Generations of artists have been creating work that would become a tradition of classics within the canon of Inuit art, and many art lovers and collectors can list those themes and styles that are so recognizable now. As new generations of artists started creating in Kinngait, a new vitality and sense of expression came with them. While much of the work can still be deeply rooted in the traditional, either by subject matter or by technique, these works are bold and singular in their presentation now, stepping away from the classics.In this upcoming December 2, 2024 sale, we can see this evolution first hand in the works of such artists as Annie Pootoogook, Tim Pitsiulak, Shuvinai Ashoona, Jamasie Pitseolak, and Arnaqu Ashevak. These artists are not just capturing a moment—they’re opening a window to their modern world. They show us that to be part of a culture is not only to inherit it but also to transform it.
Lot 5
ANNIE POOTOOGOOK (1969 - 2016) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Portrait of My Grandmother, 2004
pencil and ink on paper, 20 x 19.5 in (51 x 49.8 cm)
ESTIMATE: $12,000 — $18,000
Lot 47
ANNIE POOTOOGOOK (1969 - 2016) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Three Generations of Women Artists, 2003
coloured pencil and ink on paper, 26 x 20 in (66 x 51.1 cm)
ESTIMATE: $7,000 — $10,000
Considered one of the most influential Inuk, and contemporary Canadian artists of this century, Annie Pootoogook developed a unique style to showcase her subject matter that addressed contemporary rather than traditional life in the Canadian Arctic. Her portraiture, including both Lots 5 and 47 in this sale, are timely, familiar sights from her life. While sometimes simply stated and laid out, Annie Pootoogook’s work has been instrumental in showing that Inuk artists could have the freedom to develop their own styles and visual language.
Lot 6
ITEE POOTOOGOOK (1951 - 2014) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Old Outboard Motor, 2011
coloured pencil on paper, 46.75 x 48 in (118.7 x 121.9 cm)
ESTIMATE: $4,000 — $6,000
Lot 29
TIM PITSIULAK (1967 - 2016) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Ivory Polar Bear, 2012
coloured pencil, oil stick, and chalk pastel on paper, 44 x 66 in (111.8 x 152.4 cm)
ESTIMATE: $12,000 — $18,000
Both Tim Pitsiulak and Itee Pootoogook share a talent for the incredible detail and emotion that can be seen in their drawings. While Itee would stick to truthful renditions of his home and those around him, Tim could render the fantastical as a believable tenant of reality. Here in Lot 6, Itee’s careful, layered application and patience have created what can be seen as a more mundane image, an outboard motor on some rocks. Despite the perceived banality, the work evokes the peace and quiet of the tundra while looking as though it is the photograph it was based on. Tim’s Ivory Polar Bear (Lot 29) is not merely rendered on paper, as he gives us a creature imbued with the spirit of his ancestors, layered with further animal shapes and echoes of Thule culture. Each work offers a visual bridge across to another time, either historic or more recent, in a skillful use of colour.
Lot 30
SHUVINAI ASHOONA (1961 - ) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Untitled (Monsters at the Foot of a Woman), 2014
coloured pencil on paper, 49.5 x 48.25 in (126 x 122.4 cm)
ESTIMATE: $8,000 — $12,000
Lot 48
JUTAI TOONOO (1959 - 2015) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Worried, 2011
dry medium [chalk pastel?] on paper, 30 x 44.25 in (76.2 x 112.4 cm)
ESTIMATE: $3,500 — $5,000
Few Inuk artists have made a name for themselves using abstraction and fantastical imagery like Shuvinai Ashoona and Jutai Toonoo, and on both ends of the spectrum of subtle to overt. Shuvinai’s creatures, an array of vibrant hybrids and features, have the ability to subvert expectations as much as meet them, as can be seen in Lot 30, Untitled (Monsters at the Foot of a Woman). Their scale, motions, and appearance sit against the pebbled surface around them, and the giant in their vicinity. By contrast, Jutai Toonoo’s self-portrait Worried (Lot 48), is a deceptively simple portrayal of an emotion. Dark tones against a somber background sit with criss-crossed light lines that bring the figure into relief, also creating a halo of denser and more frenetic lines above his head. It makes for a powerful and compelling image, one set apart from those of his contemporaries.
Lot 58
ARNAQU ASHEVAK (1956 - 2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Blooming Tulips, early 2000s
stone and antler, 9 x 8 x 4 in (22.9 x 20.3 x 10.2 cm)
ESTIMATE: $3,500 — $5,000
Lot 60
JAMASEE PITSEOLAK (1968 - ) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Tricycle, 2004
stone, antler, and metal, 3.5 x 4.25 x 3.5 in (8.9 x 10.8 x 8.9 cm)
ESTIMATE: $800 — $1,200
A notable feature of stone is its static nature, a hard surface that makes a still life of anything carved into it. Despite this seemingly fixed attribute of the material, some artists have the ability to mold a stone to their own needs. Lot 58, Blooming Tulips subverts expectations by transforming stone and antler into delicate botanical forms. They have a gentle sway to them despite being fixed in place, like an impossible soft breeze passing through them. Further, much like his grandfather, Jamasee Pitseolak redefines Inuit art for his time, shaping stone into objects of playful familiarity that resonate with the humor and charm of modern northern life. One can almost hear the squeak of a stuck wheel on Tricycle (Lot 60), trundling along a bumpy road in Kinngait. Both works blend the strength of their materials with a remarkable sense of fragility and movement.