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Artworks
ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK AULATJUT (1914-1998) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT)
Untitled Work on Cloth (Drum Dance with Aya Singers), c. 1988wool duffle, felt, yarn, glass beads, and cotton thread, 39.75 x 17.25 in (101 x 43.8 cm)
unsigned.LOT 54
ESTIMATE: $3,500 — $5,000This textile by Elizabeth Nutaraaluk builds its strength through repetition and balance. Figures are placed in measured rows across a brilliant red ground of wool duffle, the colour radiating a...This textile by Elizabeth Nutaraaluk builds its strength through repetition and balance. Figures are placed in measured rows across a brilliant red ground of wool duffle, the colour radiating a steady intensity that holds the entire composition together. The upper register presents three women in green amautiit, with the middle three in orange. Beadwork follows the trim of their coats in a dotted line that catches light and adds small flashes of texture. Each woman is cut with an open mouth, marking her as an aya singer. Drummers often appear in Inuit art but singers far less so. Their inclusion here is significant as it gives presence to a dimension of performance that is often overlooked, acknowledging the essential role of song within Inuit musical practice. At the bottom, two green drummers sit in profile, facing one another in a poised exchange.
The strong chins and sculptural profiles of the women and drummers alike recall the carvings of Nutaraaluk, where form is pared down but presence remains undeniable.
ND
Provenance
Ex. Coll. Norman Zepp & Judith Varga Collection, Saskatoon;
Their sale, Marion Scott Gallery, Vancouver, BC;
Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, c. 2003.
Exhibitions
Vancouver, Marion Scott Gallery, Vision and Form: The Norman Zepp - Judith Varga Collection of Inuit Art, 2003, cat. 44.
Publications
Robert Kardosh, Vision and Form: The Norman Zepp - Judith Varga Collection of Inuit Art, (Vancouver, BC: Marion Scott Gallery, 2003), cat. 44, p. 62
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