Today’s Shape Shift: Contemporary Drawings from Kinngait (Cape Dorset)

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Ningiukulu Teevee, "Titled in Syllabics (Father and Son Ravens Talking About Male)," 2018

Cape Dorset, coloured pencil, 22” x 30”

Today’s Shape Shift: Contemporary Drawings from Kinngait (Cape Dorset)

Following the release of Shuvinai Ashoona’s extraordinary drawings last month, we are delighted to present a collection of graphic works by a dynamic group of Kinngait’s finest contemporary visual artists. These scenes from the North bring together the traditional and contemporary, referencing the constant melding of worlds that contemporary Inuit experience.

Last month, Cape Dorset was officially renamed Kinngait, the traditional name of the community. A signal of the changing times, the name echoes the constant evolution that defines life in the Arctic. The artists featured in this selection, including Inuit Gallery favourites Ningiukulu Teevee, Nicotye Samayualie, Padloo Samayualie, Qavavau Manumie and Quvianaqtuk Pudlat respond to and reinterpret the dynamic world around them.

From fanciful depictions of flamingos and fancy underpants, to serene landscapes and charismatic cranes contemporary Inuit artists draw from both the old and the new.  The drawings in this collection depict unexpected, yet recognizable scenes that bridge the gap between life in the North and life down south: tangled Christmas lights, fish on a cutting board, and colourful candy boxes are scenes we all know and connect with.

The expressive and engaging compositions unify the work of these unique artists: each has their own distinctive style, but all are marked by skillful execution and the ability to shift today’s shapes into stories.