Itee Pootogook: Hymns to the Silence

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Itee Pootoogook (1951 ‑ 2014), "Untitled (Man with Hoodie and Sunglasses)," 2012

coloured pencil and graphite on paper, 49.5 × 64.8 cm, Collection of Christopher Bredt and Jamie Cameron, L2018.60.2

Itee Pootogook: Hymns to the Silence provides an intimate look at Inuit life and the landscape of Nunavut. Guest curated by Dr. Nancy Campbell, the exhibition is the first full-scale retrospective of Itee Pootogook and gathers over 60 coloured pencil and graphite drawings on paper. A key member of the third generation of Inuit artists from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), the late Itee Pootoogook(1951-2014) began his practice in drawing, animation and carving in the 1970s. Eventually becoming involved in the renowned West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative at Kinngait Studios, the longest continuously running print studio in Canada, Itee contributed to the transformation of creative traditions pioneered by artists such as Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) and Pitseolak Ashoona (c.1904-1983). Known as a meticulous draftsperson and inventive landscapist, Itee looked primarily to contemporary life for his subject matter, rather than a nostalgic past. Although some compositions were produced from a combination of memory and imagination, Itee based many of his drawings on photographs, an aspect of his artistic process that further juxtaposes tradition with contemporaneity.

The title of the exhibition, Hymns to the Silence, a nod to singer-songwriter Van Morrison’s album of the same name, underlines the muted strength of Itee’s subject matter. These understated images celebrate the ordinary moments and things that make up everyday existence. Itee Pootoogook was a quiet observer of his community, which is inherent in the simple yet pensive nature of his works. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully bilingual (English and Inuktitut) publication, which includes texts by Campbell as well as responses to Itee’s work from prominent contemporary artists and art historians.