Napachie Pootoogook
Napachie Pootoogook was a highly acclaimed artist from the Saarruq island camp in Qikiqtaaluk region, NU, who began her artistic practice as a young adult. Focusing primarily on drawing and printmaking, Pootoogook’s impressive portfolio of over five thousand drawings has cemented her reputation as one of the most prolific figures in Inuit art. Pootoogook belongs to a large artistic family that has significantly influenced the arts scene in Kinngait.
Pootoogook's early works focused on depictions of Inuit spirituality and stories and tended to be monochromatic or use few colours. Her later works are more colourful and her focus shifted to record Inuit traditional life, clothing and community history particularly on the experiences of women. This visual record of Inuit history can be seen in various prints including Aqaqtuq (Singing Love Song) (1993) and Katajjaqtut (Throat Singing) (2000). In Aqaqtuq, a mother and son can be seen holding hands and singing, surrounded by markers of the past, such as the ulu, scraper and caribou skin bed and markers of the present such as the clock and metal cup. In Katajjaqtut two women are immersed in the art of throat singing outside of an igloo wearing amauti and dresses made from printed fabric. Through these prints Pootoogook attempts to preserve her past for future generations to learn from and carry on those traditions. Continuing with her trend of documentation Pootoogook also produced a series of autobiographical drawings. These works were of Pootoogook's memories and stories she'd heard, some of which focused on difficult subject matter such as abuse, starvation and tragedy.
Pootoogook has been featured numerous times in the Inuit Art Quarterly and has participated in over eighty exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Israel, Italy, Belgium and France. In 2004 her work was featured in a solo tour titled Napachie Pootoogook by the Winnipeg Art Gallery. In 1979 Pootoogook was commissioned by McClelland & Stewart to create the lithographic work Inuksuit, which was included in the limited edition book Landmarks of Canadian Art. Pootoogook’s works were included in almost every Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection from the 1960s until the early 2000s. Her work is also featured in multiple collections including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, ON, Musée des beaux-arts de Montreal in Quebec and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC.
Bio c/o The Inuit Art Foundation
Major Collections:
Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario
Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
Clifford E. Lee Collection, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan, U.S.A.
Department of Foreign Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
Fitzgerald Collection, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Alberta
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
Inuit Cultural Institute, Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories
Laurentian University Museum and Arts Centre, Sudbury, Ontario
London Regional Art Gallery, London, Ontario
McMaster University Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
Teleglobe Canada, Montreal, Quebec
Toronto-Dominion Bank Collection, Toronto, Ontario
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Alberta
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
