Celebrated for her works on cloth that frequently portray the Qiviuq narrative, Victoria Mamnguqsualuk demonstrates her storytelling prowess in an entirely different context with the present work. Rather than drawing from traditional narratives, The Delivery of the Trousers focuses on personal anecdote that brims with humour and cultural connection. In the catalogue accompanying the 2006 travelling exhibition at the Heard Museum, Dan and Martha Albrecht recount the story that inspired this work:

In 2002, while in Vancouver, B.C., attending the Marion Scott Gallery exhibition Works on Cloth, we met Baker Lake artist Victoria Mamnguqsualuk. She was wearing a very attractive lightweight summer amautiq [woman’s parka] with contrasting flowered maroon gingham trim. We asked if she would consider making one just like it for our collection. She said she would think it over and tell us tomorrow. The next day she told us that we could purchase the one she was wearing.

“Wonderful,” we replied, “but… we would like to purchase the matching trousers you are wearing, too.” Amid gales of laughter from the Inuit ladies present, the story took a ribald turn, changing to “the qallunaaq [white man] wants you to take off your slacks” and “he wants into your drawers!” The jokes and laughter continued until the last day of the exhibition, when Victoria brought the amautiq and pants to us.

Several months later Ed and Judy Kardosh from the Marion Scott Gallery sent us a wonderful gift: a small wall hanging made by Victoria showing an Inuit lady on her four-wheeled Honda delivering a pair of flowered gingham trousers to two blond-haired qallunaat.”

(Dan and Martha Albrecht, 2005, as cited in Arctic Spirit, op. cit)

As she has with her storytelling, Mamnguqsualuk here carries the same artistic mastery that define her large-scale textiles into the intimate scale of this smaller work, seamlessly translating technical prowess into a more condensed yet equally impactful format. Delivery of the Trousers showcases masterful stitch work, creating a scene rich in texture and dimension.

At the centre of the composition are the trousers, their playful cross-stitch embroidery vividly capturing the flowered gingham design that inspired so much laughter, as well as the work itself. On the right, a woman—likely Mamnguqsualuk herself—sits astride a four-wheeled Honda, gripping one side of the trousers. Opposite her, a blond-haired qallunaaq holds the other side, while a second qallunaaq stands to their left, observing the exchange.

Beyond its undeniable charm both as a story and as a “snack sized” work of art, Delivery of the Trousers encapsulates a moment of cultural exchange and laughter. Through intricate embroidery and vivid colours Mamnguqsualuk transforms a shared memory into a visual artifact, one that is both deeply personal and universally inviting. This work is, at its heart, a testament to the power of humour to bridge cultures and to art as a means of storytelling.