Journey through the mythical scenes and curious creatures in Shuvinai Ashoona’s drawings, now on view in Shuvinai Ashoona: Beyond the Visible.

Born in 1961 in Kinngait, Nunavut (formerly known as Cape Dorset), Ashoona has been making art for more than 25 years. Like other self-taught Inuit artists living in Kinngait, she learned through observation and mentorship from more experienced artists and Elders at the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative. She follows in the footsteps of both her parents, Kuiga (Kiugak) and Sorosilutu, as well as her grandmother Pitseolak, one of the most world-renowned and celebrated Inuk illustrators. Ashoona began drawing in 1996 and uses pen and ink, coloured pencils and oil sticks, conjuring meticulously detailed and mythical imagery set in her beloved home community.

Now on view on Level 4 of the Gallery, Shuvinai Ashoona: Beyond the Visible features 25 primarily new drawings by the third-generation Inuk artist. Curated by Wanda Nanibush,  AGO Curator, Indigenous Art, the exhibition is driven by Ashoona’s confident sense of colour, sure hand and unique vision. Ashoona was awarded the Gershon Iskowitz Prize in 2018, which recognizes and supports artists in Canada. As part of that prize, the AGO invited her to show her work in a solo exhibition. 

Ashoona joined Nanibush virtually from Kinngait Studios in Nunavut earlier this summer to discuss select works from the exhibition.

Watch their conversation in full, here via AGOinsider.