Synopses & Reviews
Irene Avaalaaqiaq has received commissions for public buildings from Churchill, Manitoba, to Minneapolis, to Ottawa. She has had solo exhibitions at the Isaacs/Innuit Gallery in Toronto and her work was included in a touring exhibition organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art. In 1999 she had a solo exhibition at the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre at the University of Guelph and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from that institute.
Review
"The story of Avaalaaqiaq's life and her capacity to draw creative inspiration from it not only makes compelling reading, it makes an important contribution to the documentation of the history of the indigenous peoples of the Canadian arctic. Through a mix of art historical analysis, social/cultural background and, most importantly, the artist's own voice, this book convincingly demonstrates how personal biography and Inuit oral traditions have been used by Avaalaaqiaq to create a powerful and distinctive new art, where indeed myth and reality intersect." Marie Routledge, Associate Curator, Inuit Art, National Gallery of Canada "This is the first comprehensive biography of Irene Avaalaaqiaq. The historical context in which the material is presented is innovative and makes a fresh contribution to the subject." Sandra Barz, Arts and Culture of the North, New York City
Synopsis
Irene Avaalaaqiaq, one of this country's most prominent Inuit artists and a leading member of the prolific artistic community of Baker Lake in the new Canadian arctic territory of Nunavut, has enjoyed a distinguished thirty-year career. A distinctive creator of drawings, prints, and sculpture, she is best known for her remarkable wall hangings, which reveal a rich tradition of spirit and shamanistic imagery. Avaalaaqiaq brings a highly individualistic vision to her tapestries. Her world view, derived from an oral tradition, is expressed by manipulating bold shapes in bright contrasting colours against a solid background. In this first critical retrospective of Avaalaaqiaq's work, Judith Nasby discusses her life and art as well as her commitment to preserving her heritage and making it accessible to an international audience.