Annie Pootoogook
Encyclopedia
Annie Pootoogook is a Canadian contemporary Inuit
artist. Her influences include her mother, Napatchie Pootoogook (died 2002), and her grandmother, Pitseolak Ashoona (died 1983), both of whom were accomplished artists.
Watching television is a recurring theme, seemingly in a matter-of-fact documentation of daily life, but tinged with the implied lack of physical or productive activity. Her titles are deadpan, e.g. "“Sadness and Relief for My Brother," "Memory of My Life: Breaking Bottles," or "Man Abusing His Partner." Living Inuit traditions do appear in her work, such as her portrayal of women tanning animals hides or families in fishing camps. The passage of time figures heavily in her work, represented by a clock with hands set in different positions in different drawings.
The power of her work stems from its lack of obvious judgment. Her work does not moralize; she is just an observer, recording a reality both good and bad, with no distinction between the two. "In the last 10 years of her life she did an absolutely extraordinary series of drawings where she talked about the darker side of traditional life and, in fact, did speak about things like spousal abuse," said Pat Feheley, owner of Feheley Fine Arts, a gallery in Toronto
that represents Pootoogook.
Her breakthrough came in 2006, when in November, she won the $50,000 Sobey Art Award
, which is given to an artist 39 years old or younger who has shown their work in a public or commercial art gallery in Canada in the past 18 months. "Annie Pootoogook's work reflects both the current moment of a specific tradition and of a contemporary drawing practice," the curators and jury for the award said in a press release. She also had a major solo exhibition in 2006 at The Power Plant
in Toronto.
She exhibited at the 2007 Biennale de Montréal and in the same year she had works at both the Basel Art Fair and Documenta
12. Pootoogook was the first Inuit artist to participate in Documenta, held in Kassel, Germany. This combination was a first for an Inuit artist. In 2009 through 2010, the National Museum of the American Indian
George Gustav Heyes Center in New York gave her a solo exhibit.
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
artist. Her influences include her mother, Napatchie Pootoogook (died 2002), and her grandmother, Pitseolak Ashoona (died 1983), both of whom were accomplished artists.
Artwork
Pootoogook began drawing in 1997, working with the disarmingly simple media of crayons and ink on paper. Her works are large in scale and bold in execution. They portray contemporary Inuit life — juxtaposing intimate family scenes and home interiors with scenes of alcoholism and violence.Watching television is a recurring theme, seemingly in a matter-of-fact documentation of daily life, but tinged with the implied lack of physical or productive activity. Her titles are deadpan, e.g. "“Sadness and Relief for My Brother," "Memory of My Life: Breaking Bottles," or "Man Abusing His Partner." Living Inuit traditions do appear in her work, such as her portrayal of women tanning animals hides or families in fishing camps. The passage of time figures heavily in her work, represented by a clock with hands set in different positions in different drawings.
The power of her work stems from its lack of obvious judgment. Her work does not moralize; she is just an observer, recording a reality both good and bad, with no distinction between the two. "In the last 10 years of her life she did an absolutely extraordinary series of drawings where she talked about the darker side of traditional life and, in fact, did speak about things like spousal abuse," said Pat Feheley, owner of Feheley Fine Arts, a gallery in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
that represents Pootoogook.
Art career
Pootoogook began her art career drawing for the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative in Cape Dorset.Her breakthrough came in 2006, when in November, she won the $50,000 Sobey Art Award
Sobey Art Award
The Sobey Art Award is Canada's largest prize for young Canadian artists. It is named after Canadian businessperson and art collector Frank H. Sobey, who established The Sobey Art Foundation...
, which is given to an artist 39 years old or younger who has shown their work in a public or commercial art gallery in Canada in the past 18 months. "Annie Pootoogook's work reflects both the current moment of a specific tradition and of a contemporary drawing practice," the curators and jury for the award said in a press release. She also had a major solo exhibition in 2006 at The Power Plant
The Power Plant
The Power Plant is one of Canada’s leading public galleries devoted to contemporary art, located in Toronto, Ontario at Harbourfront Centre. As a non-collecting art gallery, The Power Plant has presented new and recent work by numerous Canadian artists along with their international peers.Over its...
in Toronto.
She exhibited at the 2007 Biennale de Montréal and in the same year she had works at both the Basel Art Fair and Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
12. Pootoogook was the first Inuit artist to participate in Documenta, held in Kassel, Germany. This combination was a first for an Inuit artist. In 2009 through 2010, the National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
George Gustav Heyes Center in New York gave her a solo exhibit.
External links
- Nunatsiaq News, June 24, 2005 - Mother, daughter art team capture contemporary Cape Dorset - Toronto exhibit shows some of the darker realities of Inuit life
- Drawing Society of Canada - Annie Pootoogook
- Culture Clash: Annie Pootoogook captures Canada’s north-south divide, by David Balzer, with images of her work