This Valentine's Day, works of art from across Inuit Nunangat reveal love in its myriad forms! These pieces reveal the connections that bind us—from playful romance to the enduring strength of family, community and place—showing how love nurtures and shapes worlds.
Arsaniq Deer ᑯᓂ - kuni - kiss (2023) ©THE ARTIST
ᑯᓂ - kuni - kiss (2023)
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with this Inuk twist on the classic heart-shaped card? In ᑯᓂ - kuni - kiss (2023), Arsaniq Deer adorns the envelope flap with a pattern often used in kakiniit, while the card itself features gifts your Inuk sweetheart might love to receive as tokens of your affection. Deer’s only text in this love letter playfully asks for a kiss in syllabics with the question “ᑯᓂ?” You’d be hard-pressed to find an Inuk who would reject a gift of pitsi, bougie earrings and a well-made ulu from their beloved valentine! I think the gift giver can confidently prepare their cheeks for some aggressive kuniking after presenting these thoughtful presents.
NAPATSI FOLGER
Tauttunnguaqti
Heather Campbell Festival (2015) Ink on stone paper 20.3 x 25.4 cm © THE ARTIST
Festival (2015)
In this painting, Nunatsiavut artist Heather Campbell celebrates the love that comes from gathering in community. Festival (2015) is composed of soft shades of pink, orange and blue-grey that meld together on the paper to create an otherworldly, almost ethereal atmosphere. Drums appear as bold circular forms throughout the composition, as figures appear against a flowy, ink-washed background defined by strong black lines. Community members singing, drumming and dancing appear in an apparent state of joyful serenity, faces and hands lifted skyward, their energetic movements soaring into Campbell’s spattered textures—creating a space filled with trust, belonging, and collective joy!
MICHELLE SONES
Fact Checker
Lindsay McIntyre A Northern Portrait (2013) (still) 16 mm film © THE ARTIST
A Northern Portrait (2013)
Lindsay McIntyre's A Northern Portrait (2013) emerged from her expanded cinema performance series created between 2012–2017, using nine projectors to create overlapping 16mm film loops. In this sepia-toned still, floral bouquets appear to float over a body of water as deep, ominous audio enhances a dreamlike atmosphere—operating like fragmented memories. A conversation in Inuktitut begins to loop, followed by the sound of raven calls as images fade in and out. In A Northern Portrait, it feels like memory itself is constantly in flux—some parts remain unclear, yet certain elements like a family member’s voice or a raven flying across the sky serve as an anchor, stirring a deep love and longing for place, people and home.
EMILY LAWRENCE
Associate Editor
Annie Pootoogook Memories of My Parents (2003–04) Colored pencil and ink 50.8 x 66 cm COURTESY FEHELEY FINE ARTS © THE ARTIST
Memories of My Parents (2003–04)
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that the love between parents and children can be one of the most special kinds of love. When I look at Annie Pootoogook’s (1969–2016) drawing Memories of My Parents (2003–04), I immediately feel both joy and sadness. A woman in a green shirt sits with her head propped up with one arm, a dreamy look on her face, presumably thinking about the good times shared with her parents, who have since passed away. Pootoogook uses bright colours to honour and bring life to the people in this drawing. Against a white wall, the central figure’s textured green shirt and vibrant shades in both framed portraits of her parents are a reminder that people and their memories make a place home. I know that one day I will inevitably feel this same mix of loss and happiness that comes with experiencing this type of love.
MELISSA KAWAGUCHI
Associate Editor
Taalrumiq Sealskin V Aitqatit (mittens) (2022) Sealskin, fox fur, leather and sequins © THE ARTIST
Sealskin V Aitqatit (mittens) (2022)
Taalrumiq’s Sealskin V Aitqatit (mittens) depicts radical love to me. Although each pair bears a V tunnit design, their varied colour schemes reflect how personal our preferences can be, while the materials signify how we hold space for differences amongst us. After all, the sealskin aitqatit have welcomed the leather pair within the group without reservation. I imagine this photo being reenacted—people standing together, seeing and being seen by each other, extending support to one another. I imagine all the folks whose hands craft garments for themselves and others from sealskin, fur, leather and other materials sourced from the nuna and its inhabitants, with each item conveying the message: let’s keep each other warm.
TIFFANY RADDI
Assistant Editor