| |
KENOJUAK ASHEVAK - ARTIST
Kenojuak Ashevak was born in 1927 at a traditional
camp named Ikirisaq, in the southern area of Baffin Island. In her
younger years, she travelled as her ancestors had, among the hunting
camps on Baffin Island and in Quebec's Arctic region. Today, she is
one of Canada's best-known Inuit artists.
Together with other women in Inuit communities, Ashevak began drawing
at the end of the 1950s. These drawings were made into prints which
were sold through the local artists' co-operative. Ashevak's best-known
artwork features birds in many colours, different shapes and positions.
One of her most successful works from 1960 is entitled "The Enchanted
Owl," which was commemorated in a postage stamp to mark the centennial
of the Northwest Territories in 1969. The National Film Board of Canada
produced a film in 1961 about her life. She and her husband collaborated
on a huge mural for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan.
Her works began to achieve even wider fame with special commissions
that began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A book entitled Graphic
Arts of the Inuit: Kenojuak was published in 1981 about her life
and artworks.
In 1990, the Indian Northern Affairs Canada commissioned her to create
a commemorative artwork for the signing of the Inuit Land Claim Agreement-in-Principle.
She obliged with a work called "Nunavut Qajanatuk" (Our Beautiful
Land). Several years ago, Canada Post again selected "The Enchanted
Owl" for a special 86-cent stamp.
Ashevak was named as a Companion of the Order of Canada and has received
honorary Doctorates of Laws from both Queen's University and the University
of Toronto. She has represented Canada many times at major art exhibitions
in Korea, Europe and North America.
|
