Napachie Pootoogook

Biography

Napachie Pootoogook was a highly acclaimed artist from the Saarruq island camp in Qikiqtaaluk region, NU, who began her artistic practice as a young adult. Focusing primarily on drawing and printmaking, Pootoogook’s impressive portfolio of over five thousand drawings has cemented her reputation as one of the most prolific figures in Inuit art [1]. Pootoogook belongs to a large artistic family that has significantly influenced the arts scene in Kinngait [2].

Pootoogook's early works focused on depictions of Inuit spirituality and stories and tended to be monochromatic or use few colours. Her later works are more colourful and her focus shifted to record Inuit traditional life, clothing and community history particularly on the experiences of women [3]. This visual record of Inuit history can be seen in various prints including Aqaqtuq (Singing Love Song) (1993) and Katajjaqtut (Throat Singing) (2000). In Aqaqtuq, a mother and son can be seen holding hands and singing, surrounded by markers of the past, such as the ulu, scraper and caribou skin bed and markers of the present such as the clock and metal cup. In Katajjaqtut two women are immersed in the art of throat singing outside of an igloo wearing amauti and dresses made from printed fabric. Through these prints Pootoogook attempts to preserve her past for future generations to learn from and carry on those traditions. Continuing with her trend of documentation Pootoogook also produced a series of autobiographical drawings. These works were of Pootoogook's memories and stories she'd heard, some of which focused on difficult subject matter such as abuse, starvation and tragedy [4].

Pootoogook has been featured numerous times in the Inuit Art Quarterly and has participated in over eighty exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Israel, Italy, Belgium and France. In 2004 her work was featured in a solo tour titled Napachie Pootoogook by the Winnipeg Art Gallery [5]. In 1979 Pootoogook was commissioned by McClelland & Stewart to create the lithographic work Inuksuit, which was included in the limited edition book Landmarks of Canadian Art. Pootoogook’s works were included in almost every Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection from the 1960s until the early 2000s. Her work is also featured in multiple collections including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, ON, Musée des beaux-arts de Montreal in Quebec and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC.



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Accomplishments

2007: Her print My New Accordion (1989) was used on the Brazilian stamp to commemorate the anniversaries of Brazil's economic and diplomatic relations with Canada.

1979: Commissioned to create a lithographic work, Inuksuit which was included in the limited edition book, Land Canadian Art published by McClelland & Stewart.

ᓇᐸᑦᓯ ᐳᑐᒍ ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒻᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑕᒥᓄᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒥᐊᕈᑎᓄᑦ, ᕿᕐᓂᖅᑕᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᑎᓄᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᒪᖃᙱᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᑎᓄᑦ. ᐳᑐᒎᑉ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᐅᔭᖅᑎᐅᓂᖓ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᕐᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᙳᐊᓕᐅᕐᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᙵᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ 1950 ᐃᓱᒐᓗᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᔭᐅᖅᑐᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᓈᓇᒥᓄᑦ, ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᖅ ᐊᓲᓇᒧᑦ. ᐳᑐᒎᑉ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᙵᓚᐅᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᑐᕌᒐᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᓂᑦ ᑭᖑᓂᐊᒍᓪᓕ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᓯᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᑐᖃᖏᓐᓂᑦ, ᐊᓐᓄᕌᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐱᓗᐊᙳᐊᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᐊᑐᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᑕᖏᑲᓴᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᑭᙵᕐᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᑦ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᓯᒪᓲᓂᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᙵᓂ 1960−ᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᒍᓐᓃᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ 2002−ᒧᑦ. ᐃᓅᓯᖓᓂ, ᐳᑐᒍ ᓴᖅᑮᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ 5000−ᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᐅᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐃᓛᒃᑰᖓᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᑎᙵᔪᓃᖃᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᔪᓂᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᐊᒥᐊᓕᒐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᔫᕋᑉᒥ.

Artist Work

About Napachie Pootoogook

Medium:

Graphic Arts

Artistic Community:

Kinngait, Nunavut, Inuit Nunangat

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

1938

Date of Death:

Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

2002

Edit History

January 9, 2018 Updated by: Rebecca Gray
September 12, 2017 Created by: Cynthia Rico Updated by: Inuit Art Foundation