SHUVINAI ASHOONA (1961-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)

A hallmark of Shuvinai Ashoona’s early work are her beautifully detailed pen and ink depictions of landscapes and traditional life in the north. From 2006, Untitled (Composition with Skin Tent Construction) is simple in subject matter, and complex in depiction with its vast areas of negative space drawn into it. The larger rocks are broken up by curved rib bones tied together, while smaller piles of pebbles fill in some of the negative spaces here and there. The tent itself could almost blend into the work itself, as the monochromatic nature of the work forces the viewer to focus and discover its presence within the drawn lines.