Tales from the Arctic
From Ice Flows to Shore:
.....The artists of Kinngait share an imaginative sensitivity to the uniquely hostile yet vibrant qualities of their Arctic environment and express them in a diverse range of innovative approaches showcasing the abiding strength of Inuit oral traditions & cultural heritage. Amongst their many subjects is a complex array of Arctic wildlife which inhabits the region and the colossal island and sea landscapes of Qikiqtaaluk....
........As well as retelling stories from Inuit oral tradition, many artists from Kinngait also focus on depicting the ongoing transformative impacts of Arctic colonialism and climate change on the lives of their communities and Qikiqtaaluk’s ancient landscapes.
From Ice Flows to Shore presents a diverse, rotating collection of prints and drawings by both leading and emerging Inuit artists and printmakers, including internationally celebrated artists: Kenojuak Ashevak, Pitaloosie Saila, Shuvinai Ashoona and Kingmeata Etidlooie.
Edgelands is delighted to be the first gallery in Scotland to present works for sale from Kinngait’s renowned artist community as well as offer exclusive UK access to artworks direct from the Kinngait Collection, based at Dorset Fine Arts in Toronto, Canada. We warmly welcome you to explore Tales from the Arctic.
Amy Wilson
Curator & Director, Edgelands
ᐅᓘᓯ ᓴᐃᓚ
OOLOOSIE SAILA
One of Kinngait’s most promising emerging artists, ᐅᓘᓯ ᓴᐃᓚ / Ooloosie Saila is best known for her large scale landscape drawings and atmospheric prints. Her signature style includes creating eye-catching textures through the use of unusual patterns such as squiggles, stripes and dots to produce expressive, painterly compositions. The bold colour fields in her work emphasise the colossal and transformational energies of Arctic landscapes.
Edgelands is proud to partner with Dorset Fine Arts in Toronto to offer exclusive UK access to the work of Canada's leading Inuit graphic artists. The Kinngait Collection features a vast archive of contemporary and historic works; from prints and drawings to sculptures and special commissions. Contact our team today, check out the collection online or view the latest arrivals below to begin exploring
ᑲᕙᕙᐅ ᒪᓄᒥ
QAVAVAU
MANUMIE
Graphic artist & master printmaker ᑲᕙᕙᐅ ᒪᓄᒥ / Qavavau Manumie is best known for his imaginative depictions of Inuit oral traditions, extraordinary land/seascapes and contemporary reflections on Inuit life in far North; from the challenges of Climate Change to his personal encounters with a host of extraordinary Arctic wildlife.
KENOJUAK ASHEVAK
Without question, ᐃᓄᒃᑐᑦ / Kenojuak Ashevak is one of Canada's best known graphic artists, celebrated for her central role in bringing Inuit art and culture to international attention and renown over the course of her lifetime. Her works are highly sought after and admired for their high level of technical skill and imaginative sensitivity to the unique qualities of her Arctic home. Brave and innovative, her works epitomise the abiding strength and diversity of Inuit cultural heritage.
ᓱᕕᓇᐃ ᐊᓱᓇ
SHUVINAI ASHOONA
A 3rd generation artist from Kinngait, who has gained recent international popularity, ᓱᕕᓇᐃ ᐊᓱᓇ / Shuvinai Ashoona is known for her monumental drawings and thought provoking depictions of life in the Arctic. Her work features visually complex and highly detailed landscapes and portraits that challenge the existence of perceived borders between natural and supernatural worlds.
ᑐᐱᖅ
tupiq
[ tent ]
ᑐᐱᖅ / Tupiq are a type of tent that is traditionally made from ᐅᒡᔪᒃ / ugjuk [bearded seal] or ᑐᒃᑐ / tuktu [caribou] skin. Tupiq have been used through the generations by Inuit during warmer seasons of the year to provide shelter while traveling across the Land for hunting and harvesting activities. The modern equivalent of the tupiq is called a ᑐᐱᒃᕼᐊᖅ /tupikhaq and is usually made from canvas. The tupiq in Shuvina Ashoona's print (depicted with a hovering gaze) speaks to times past and present, and is revealed with a faint glowing light.
unaaq
[ harpoon ]
ᐅᓈᖅ
ᐅᓈᖅ/unaaq [harpoon] are one of many tools used by Inuit for the hunting of large aquatic mammals such as walrus, beluga and bearded seals. The unaaq has a detachable projectile head called a ᐃᒡᒋᒪᒃ / igimak which fastens to a hand-held line. Traditionally, igimak are carved from materials such as ivory but today they are predominantly made from metal.
ᖃᕐᒪᖅ
qarmaq
[ stone/sod house ]
ᖃᕐᒪᖅ / qarmaq [stone/sod house]; are a form of subterranean dwelling typically used from fall to spring which is made from stone and/or peat sod. The qarmaq is partially buried in the ground to keep the occupants warm over long periods of time. While the walls are often made from peat sod, rocks, moss and earth, the roof structure is made from materials such as driftwood, whale bone and/or baleen and is often covered by a ᑐᐱᖅ/Tupiit [tent] made from seal or caribou hide. Snow is sometimes added to the roof to provide further insulation while traditionally feather down is used for internal insulation. Qarmat and similar ᐃᒡᓗᐃᑦ/igluit [house] structures such as ᑐᐱᖅ/Tupiit and ᐃᒡᓗᕕᔭᖅ/igluvijait, were used regularly by Inuit communities up until the 1950's where camps continued to be established out on the land and ice throughout the year near seasonal hunting and harvesting grounds. The earliest evidence of their use was by the Thule Inuit, who occupied the Arctic from Alaska to Greenland as early as 1000 CE. The modern descendants of the Thule are the current Inuit occupants of places such as Qikiqtaaluk [Baffin Island].
ᓱᐱᑕᓗᓯ
Pitaloosie Saila
Inuit graphic artist ᐱᑕᓗᓯ / Pitaloosie Saila is celebrated for her atmospheric prints and drawings that are well known for their depictions of resilient and joyful matriarchs and traditional Inuit ways of life in the Arctic.
Her personal style ocellated between pure realism and abstraction, creating powerful compositions with finely articulated colours and textures. Her works are highly sought after by public and private collectors around the world.
WOLF IN THE MIST
Nose pointed to the sky, ᑯᕕᐊᓇᑐ ᐳᓚ / Quvianaqtuk Pudlat's Wolf in the Mist sings out across the wild Arctic and perhaps also across Scotland's far north in times long past.
This Limited Edition Lithograph Print was created by Quvianaqtuk in 2023 as part the PrintArctic Project; a creative partnership and artist residency established between Kinngait Studios and the Scottish printmaking studios Edinburgh Printmakers.
ᑭᒥᐊᑕ
KINGMEATA ETIDLOOIE
Artist ᑭᒥᐊᑕ / Kingmeata Etidlooie led a remarkable life and was best known for her contributions to the advancement of Inuit art through her experimentations with painting in the late 60's, early 70's where she was the first Inuit artist from Kinngait to work with watercolours.
Her artworks (now in limited supply) are highly collectable, most poignantly for their standing within the history of the development of Inuit art.
ANTLERS & BONES
The joys found in Nature's abundance and the potentialities of making something new can be found in ᓂᑯᑦᑕᐃ ᓵᒻᒪᔫᐊᓕ / Padloo Samayualie's Antlers and Bones Print. Its bright colours also speak to the tundra and shoreline mosses, lichen and seaweeds often found around Kinngait where piles of antlers and bones such as this can be seen.
Antlers and bones have and continue to be significant to Inuit for their abundantly useful qualities as well as their beauty. Antlers in particular are traditionally used to create utilitarian objects and as materials for building ᐃᒡᓗᐃᑦ / igluit [house] structures. Antler, bone and ivory are also materials used prominently in contemporary Inuit sculpture.
