Many artists have a distinct visual lexicon that becomes synonymous with their name, and Janet Kigusiuq is no exception. There are figures and fauna that can be repeatedly found spanning across her drawn, printed, and sewn works, often blocked and outlined on a flat plane.

In Muskox Hunt, Kigusiuq’s muskox are mostly facing head on with their stark round eyes and clothespin-shaped silhouettes, staring down a line of people. As with many of her works, Kigusiuq’s people are dressed with simple but distinct details: seamlines are strongly stitched against coloured felt, fringe is splaying out from hemlines, and hoods fall back to reveal braided hair. In a step away from the more true to life colour scheme of the work, teams of spindly-legged dogs in blocked colours back up their humans, further surrounding the muskox. Despite the general subject of this work, the familiarity of Kigusiuq’s figures is usually paired with a smile of recognition from the viewer; they have character and quirks that can’t help but catch your eye!

AC