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Artist Database
OSHUITOQ, Anirnik
- Born
- Kimmirut, Nunavut, 1902
- Died
- Cape Dorset (?), Nunavut, 1983
- Biography synopsis
- Inuit artist Anirnik Oshuitoq (Annick/Ainee/Anergna/Arnirnik/Anernik/Anargnak/Arnick/Ohsuitoq) was born to Anirmu and Enoosik on a whaling boat near Kimmirut (formerly known as Lake Harbour) in 1902. Her early years were spent aboard this vessel with her family, while her father hunted whale. At a young age, Oshuitoq was married to a man named Adla in a prearranged marriage. After the sudden death of her first husband, Oshuitoq remarried to a man named Eepervik. In the 1960's, Oshuitoq settled in the Inuit camp of Cape Dorset. During this time, she began to create drawings that revolved around spirituality. She contributed to the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collections from 1961-1974. Oshuitoq's dynamic compositions depict anthropomorphic figures that are inspired by Inuit folklore. Her playful and original depiction of animal spirits in a sophisticated use of space garnered her international recognition. Her works have been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Sweden, England, Italy, and Israel. Additionally, her prints are in several major collections, including the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Canada. Oshuitoq's daughter, Ningeeuga Oshuitoq (1918-1980), was also a graphic artist.
- Media used
- Drawing
- Printmaking
- Textiles
- File & Archive locations
- National Gallery of Canada, ON - Library and Archives
- Canadian Women Artists History Initiative Documentation Centre, QC
- University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
Writings about- Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: Die bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker. Leipzig: G. K. Saur, 1992
- Inoonoot Eskima: Grafik och Skulptur fran Cape Dorset och Povungnituk Konstframjandet. Stockholm, Sweden: 1967
- Inuit Images in Transition. Amherst, Massachusetts: Augusta Savage Gallery, University of Massachusetts, 1988
- Katilvik.com 2010
http://www.katilvik.com/content/bio/view.php?bid=1406&criteria=community&q=Cape%20Dorset - The Art of the Eskimo. Burnaby, British Columbia: Simon Fraser University Gallery, 1971
- AboriginArt Galleries. "Anirnik Oshuitoq (Annick; Ainee; Anergna; Arnirnik; Anernik; Anergna; Anargnak; Arnick)." Inuit.net 1995
http://www.inuitarteskimoart.com/artists/b-inuitarteskimoart-Oshuitoq_Anirnik.html - Arbor, Ann. A New Day Dawning: Early Cape Dorset Prints. Michigan: University of Michigan, 1989
- Arts and Culture of the North (Organization). Arts and Culture of the North, Volumes 17-26. Madison, Wisconsin: Arts and Culture of the North, 1984
- Blodgett, Jean. Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections From the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983
- Blodgett, Jean. The Coming and Going of the Shaman: Eskimo Shamanism and Art. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978
- Crandall, Richard C. Inuit Art: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2000
- Eber, Dorothy Harley. When the Whalers Were Up North: Inuit Memories from the Eastern Arctic. McGill Queen's University Press, 1989
- Embankment Gallery. Eskimo Art. London, England: 1978
- Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. Immaginario inuit: Arte e cultura degli Esquimesi Canadesi. Verona, Italy: Palazzo Forti, 1995
- Gustavison, Susan. Arctic Expressions: Inuit Art and the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, 1961-1989. Kleinburg, Ontario: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1994
- Halpern, Joel Martin. Perspectives on Inuit Culture: A Five College Symposium and Art Exhibit, April 4-14, 1988. Michigan: Five College Canadian Studies Program, 1989
- Houston, Alma. Inuit Art: An Anthology. Watson & Dwyers Publishers, 1988
- Houston, James A. Eskimo Prints. Don Mills, Ontario: Longmans Canada, 1967
- Inuit Gallery of Vancouver. Inuit Drawings. Vancouver: Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1990
- Jackson, Marion E. & Judith Nasby. Contemporary Inuit Drawings. Guelph, Ontario: MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, 1987
- Jerusalem Artists' House Museum. Polar Vision: Canadian Eskimo Graphics. Jerusalem: Na'amat, 1978
- Larmour, W.T.. Innunit: The Art of the Canadian Eskimo/L'art des Esquimaux du Canada. Ottawa: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1967
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Cape Dorset Revisited. Kleinburg, Ontario: 1995
- Muscarelle Museum of Art. Contemporary Inuit Drawings: The Gift Collection of Frederick and Lucy S. Herman. Williamsburg, Virginia: College of William and Mary in Virginia, 1993
- National Museum of Man. The Inuit Print/L'estampe inuit. Ottawa: National Museum of Man, 1982
- Simon Fraser University Gallery. Images of the Inuit: From the Simon Fraser Collection. Burnaby, British Columbia: Simon Fraser University Gallery, 1981
- Turner, Evan H. et al. Eskimo Graphic Art/L'art graphique des Esquimaux. Ottawa: National Film Board of Canada, 1963
- West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative. Cape Dorset Graphics. [Annual] Baffin Island, Northwest Territories: West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, (1961-1974)
- West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative. Eskimo Graphic Art/L'art graphique des Esquimaux. Cape Dorset, Nunavut: 1963
- West-Baffin Eskimo Co-operative et al.. Qallunaaqtait Sikusilaarmit = Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios. Toronto: Textile Museum of Canada., 2020.
- Woodget, G.R.S. The Woodget Collection of Eskimo Art and Artifacts. Halifax: Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Art, 1970
