This exceptionally fine work on cloth contains memories of the land that must have been very close to Nanurluq’s heart, for they inspired several versions over the years. Of the three we know of, the first dates from 1988 (see First Arts, 5 Dec. 2022, Lot 101). Shortly after creating the present masterpiece in 2001, she was asked to reprise the image and did so in 2003. [1] Unlike many Baker Lake works on cloth, this lively hanging has little or no symbolic content; it is memory art pure and simple, a wonderful blend of narrative and decorative goals on the part of the artist.

Summer Fishing Camp is a brilliant composition packed with vignettes surrounding the main weir fishing narrative. There is much activity: fishing, caribou hunting by kayak, bird hunting with a bola, the cutting and drying of fish, trekking, and visiting. Nanurluq’s use of colour is subtle and lovely against the black background, and her stitchery is masterful and varied; most notable are her trademark loop stiches on the dogs, caribou, and tent, and the fascinating net-like stitchery of the water. Also notable is the way Nanurluq mixes people and animals in action with repetitive displays: swimming fish, dried fish, captured birds, sentinel owls, and late snowflakes and/or early flowers. The result is a rich and simply stunning feast for the eyes.