Kinngait Studios are rightly celebrated for their remarkable printmaking program, yet their pioneering work in hand-printed textiles from the 1950s and 60s in Cape Dorset has only recently begun to receive its due. These textiles represent an essential chapter in the history of Canadian art and design, not only for their aesthetic value but also for the way they document a rich period of experimentation and cross-cultural dialogue.

Like the prints of the same era, the textiles draw on a wide range of visual languages. They are shaped by the Inuit graphic tradition, tailored to the tastes of the southern art market, and steeped in the dominant visual sensibilities of mid-century modernism. The influence of Japanese block and stencil printing is also present, particularly in the clarity of line and attention to compositional rhythm.

Among the standout works is the present Fabulous Geese, which appeared in the interior of a suite at Habitat ’67 (see additional images. This installation was later reproduced in Roxane Shaughnessy and Anna Richards’ Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios [Toronto: Textile Museum of Canada, 2021] Figure 22, p. 43, captioned “Design Canada: Canadian Design at Expo 67. National Design Council.”)

It is easy to understand just why it was selected. Anernik’s geese are rendered in a delightfully stylized and minimalist fashion, their quirky charm stemming from their exaggerated necks, simplified forms, and expressive postures. Each bird is reduced to a few elegant shapes: a curved body, thin legs, and a beak that seems to suggest attitude and curiosity. The limited monochrome palette enhances the graphic quality, while playful variations in pose and direction lend a sense of rhythm and movement across the fabric. The dotted patterning on the bodies adds texture without overcomplicating the design. Altogether, the geese strike a balance between modernist abstraction and folk-art whimsy, making them both stylish and endearing.

The design captured public attention at the time. In the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, on August 26, 1966, a columnist wrote, “Fabulous Geese, designed by artist Anergnik, features boat-shaped bodies of geese with elongated necks and feather tipped heads. Their stately profiles are almost Egyptian in feeling.” Another review in the Montreal Star, dated February 4, 1967, remarked on “Anergnik’s stately, long-necked ‘Fabulous Geese’ so beautifully spaced and so distinguished in the black and grey” (p. 68). It was also featured in advertising materials for Ogilvy’s department store when they introduced the fabrics to market (see attached image from The [Montreal] Gazette, August 4, 1966, p. 13).