Inuit

The treasures of the world’s largest public collection of Inuit art are revealed in this seminal history of art from the Arctic.

The collection of Inuit art held by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, one of Canada’s most important public galleries, is extraordinary by any standard: its geographic range, diverse media and size have brought international renown to the collection of some 11,000 artworks. The wag celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2012-13 and this book, as well as a major exhibition from January 24 to April 17, 2013, will feature many of the gallery’s treasures as it marks this important milestone.

Creation and Transformation is a major art book that describes the genesis and evolution of contemporary Inuit art from 1949 to the present day: from carvers in the 1950s, such as Johnny Inukpuk, to later storytellers in stone, such as Davidialuk Alasua Amittu, and in whale bone such as Karoo Ashevak; from pioneer graphic artist Jessie Oonark, to graphic artists working today in new and personal idioms, such as Shuvinai Ashoona. The book is a celebration of creativity that has had many transformations over six decades.

Organized chronologically, this remarkable volume will constitute a new historical narrative of a contemporary art form as revealed in essays by international authorities led by Winnipeg Art Gallery’s curator of Inuit art, Darlene Coward Wight, and explored through the personal insights of the artists themselves. Expertly designed and produced, this book features 150 colour and archival images.

Hardcover
Published in 2012

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For thousands of years, Inuit women practiced the traditional art of tattooing. Created with bone needles and caribou sinew soaked in seal oil or soot, these tattoos were an important tradition for many women, symbols stitched in their skin that connected them to their families and communities.

But with the rise of missionaries and residential schools in the North, the tradition of tattooing was almost lost. In 2005, when Angela Hovak Johnston heard that the last Inuk woman tattooed in the traditional way had died, she set out to tattoo herself and learn how to tattoo others. What was at first a personal quest became a project to bring the art of traditional tattooing back to Inuit women across Nunavut, starting in the community of Kugluktuk.

Collected in this beautiful book are moving photos and stories from more than two dozen women who participated in Johnston’s project. Together, these women are reawakening their ancestors’ lines and sharing this knowledge with future generations.

Published in 2017

Hardcover

Please note: When purchasing a book online, please consider the cost of shipping to certain destinations as it may be higher than anticipated.  Please contact us for a shipping quote prior to placing your online order.