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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

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