asinnajaq

asinnajaq is a visual artist, filmmaker and writer currently based in Montreal, QC. Since childhood, asinnajaq has been immersed in storytelling and the sharing of her cultural heritage [1]. In grade school, alongside her mother, she led a workshop on Inuit culture at the McCord Museum in Montreal [2]. Inspired by her father, celebrated filmmaker Jobie Weetaluktuk, asinnajaq began filmmaking and attended NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was able to draw from her previous knowledge of film and push her theoretical and conceptual understanding of the medium [3].

Recently, asinnajaq completed the short film Three Thousand (2017), which was put together from thousands of hours of historical footage from the National Film Board of Canada's archive. On working with the archive, asinnajaq has said:

“Our understanding of the past is always evolving, and the representation of Indigenous Peoples has changed dramatically over the decades. You get these government-sponsored films from the '50s, subtly or not so subtly racist, that promote residential schooling. And then you’ll find recent footage by Inuit filmmakers that presents a completely different perspective. It’s a fantastic resource for an artist” [4].

For Three Thousand (2017), asinnajaq selected particular images or sequences of film and worked with animator Patrick Defasten to create original animations and, ultimately, produce a work that reframes the past and creates a vision for the future [5]. The film was displayed as part of the Winnipeg Art Gallery's exhibition Insurgence/Resurgence.

asinnajaq was a part of the curatorial team for the Canadian Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale and was announced as a Sobey Art Award Longlist nominee in April 2020. 

----------

Accomplishments