Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, April 29, 2024: Kenojuak Ashevak, Canadian Inuit painter, sculptor and graphic designer (#2010)

Kenojuak Ashevak, (1927 - 2013), CC, ONu, RCA, was born in the outpost camp of Ikirasaq, on the southern coast of Baffin Island, to Silaqqi and Ushuakjuk, a hunter, fur trader and respected shaman. Ashevak first learned traditional skills from her grandmother Koweesa and began carving and drawing in her twenties alongside her husband Johnniebo Ashevak, with whom she shared her love of art. While undergoing treatment in southern Canada, Ashevak began to draw to pass the time. Upon returning north and settling in Kinngait (Cape Dorset) with her husband and family, she met James Houston and Alma Houston, who were establishing an arts program and encouraged her to pursue graphic arts through the Co-op. In the late 1960s Ashevak quickly gained recognition for her prints and has since become arguably the most renowned Inuit artist in the world.

Ashevak worked in carving and drawing but rose to prominence through her graphic works. She portrayed animals, humans and spirits of her surrounding environment, focusing on birds in particular. The Enchanted Owl, one of her earliest and most well-known works, depicts an owl that faces out toward the viewer. The texture of the body is created through dots and lines in black and white. The feathers extend out from the body and surround the bird, and the long red tail feathers reach out and curve upwards. Ashevak created a powerful and captivating image through subtle details. In 1970, The Enchanted Owl was reproduced on a Canada Post stamp; Ashevak was the first Inuk to have her artwork on a stamp. The Enchanted Owl is only the beginning of her vast and diverse output.

Ashevak participated in exhibitions across Canada, Europe and Asia, and her work is held in collections internationally. Her achievements are numerous and include the 1963 National Film Board production Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak, which opened the eyes of many to the rich cultural life of the Canadian Arctic and, in particular, Ashevak and her artistic practice. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1967, became a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1982 and was awarded the Governor General’s Award in Visual Arts in 2008. She received an honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and Queen’s University. Further, she has been included in almost every Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection since 1960. In 2016 Ashevak was the subject of a Canadian Heritage Minute, which paid tribute to the huge impact she continues to have on Inuit artists and Canadian art.

As well as being a renowned artist, Ashevak’s extensive travel schedule placed her in the position of being a cultural ambassador and a role model for women. She was known as charming, gracious, intelligent and humorous, traits that helped her as a public figure. Ashevak spoke of her artistic practice as a way for her to financially support her family, especially after her first husband passed away in 1972. However, drawing and creating were also deeply embedded in her everyday life, and she loved it. Late in life, she was often asked when she would stop drawing, to which she responded, “This is my job and my love. I cannot imagine life without art”

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