Itee Pootoogook: Hymns to the Silence

This exhibition of the art of Itee Pootoogook (1951–2014) gathers together more than 60 drawings from the late artist’s body of work and is the first full-scale retrospective of his art. As one of the key members of the third generation of Inuit artists from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Itee contributed to the transformation of the creative traditions inherited from his elders at the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative’s Kinngait Studios. The son of artists Ishuhungitok and Paulassie Pootoogook, cousin of Annie Pootoogook and nephew of Kananginak Pootoogook, he began his artistic practice in the 1970s with an experiment in film animation, later adopting drawing as his medium of choice. By the late 1990s, he was actively involved in his newfound career as a graphic artist at Kinngait Studios.

Itee Pootoogook (1951 ‑ 2014)
Landscape and Ice, 2010
coloured pencil on paper
49.9 x 65.1 cm
Gift of Christopher Bredt and Jamie Cameron
McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Known as a meticulous draftsperson and an inventive landscapist, Itee looked primarily to contemporary Northern life for his subject matter. Although he produced his compositions from a combination of memory and imagination, Itee also based many of his drawings on photographs, an aspect of his artistic process that further highlights his contemporaneity. Featuring a minimum of incident, these understated images celebrate the mundane moments that make up the everyday but also the flashes of unrivalled natural beauty that are the delight of all who live in the North.

Our approach to this exhibition involved close consultation with artists, family, and colleagues of Itee’s in Kinngait, as well as artists and curators in the South who support his work, generating new insights that deepen our understanding of contemporary art from Canada’s Arctic region. In several instances, we have included the words of our catalogue contributors in the labels for the exhibition, in order to share that plurality of perspectives.

Itee Pootoogook (1951 ‑ 2014)
Valley 2011
Coloured pencil and graphite on black paper
50.2 x 65 cm
Gift of Christopher Bredt and Jamie Cameron
McMichael Canadian Art Collection

This exhibition was prompted by the generous donation to the McMichael of 48 works by Itee from the noted Inuit art collectors Jamie Cameron and Christopher Bredt.

ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᐃᑏ ᐳᑐᒍᖅ (1951–2014)
ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐅᖓᑖᓃᑦᑐᑦ 60 ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔫᑉ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓂᖅ ᐊᑕᖏᖅᓱᒋᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ. ᐃᓚᒋᔭᓪᓗᐊᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐱᖓᔪᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᑭᖑᕚᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᑭᙵᕐᓂᒃ, ᐊᐃᑏ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓴᓇᑐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᑐᖃᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᑭᙵᐃᑦ ᑯᐊᐸᒃᑯᖏᓐᓂ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᕕᓐᓂ. ᐃᓂᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐃᓱᖃᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐸᐅᓛᓯ ᐳᑐᒍᖅ, ᐊᓂᑦᓴᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᓂ ᐳᑐᒍᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᖏᐊᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ ᑲᓈᖏᓐᓈ ᐳᑐᒍᕐᒧᑦ, ᓴᓇᖃᑦᑕᐸᓪᓕᐊᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ 1970−ᖏᓐᓂ ᐆᑦᑐᕋᕈᑎᖃᖅᓱᓂ ᑕᕐᕆᔭᓕᐅᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᐅᕙᑦᓯᐊᕈᕈᕆᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓂᕈᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᖅᓱᓂ. 1990 ᓄᙳᖅᐸᓯᖏᓐᓂ, ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑭᙵᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᕕᖏᓐᓂ.

Itee Pootoogook (1951 ‑ 2014)
Rear of Canoe 2011
coloured pencil and graphite on black paper
50.2 × 66 cm
Gift of Christopher Bredt and Jamie Cameron
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
2018.7.25

ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑎᑎᖅᑑᔭᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᐅᒋᐊᖓ ᐃᓱᒪᑐᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᒥᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ, ᐊᐃᑏ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓯᐅᑕᐅᓂᖅᓴᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ. ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᒐᓗᐊᖅᓱᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᔨᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᐅᑐᙳᐊᖅᑕᒥᓂᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ, ᐊᐃᑏᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᓱᓂ ᐊᔾᔨᓂᒃ
ᑎᑎᖅᑐᐃᓗᒐᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᕆᓯᒪᒻᒥᔭᖓ ᐊᓚᒡᒐᐃᒍᑕᐅᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᓱᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓯᐅᑎᓄᑦ. ᐃᓗᓕᖅᑐᔪᒻᒪᕆᐊᓘᒐᑎᒃ, ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᔪᑦ ᖃᖓᑐᐃᓐᓇᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑑᑎᓲᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒻᒥᔪ ᐱᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᔾᔮᓇᕇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ.

ᐊᐅᓚᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᔾᔨᑎᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᓂᒃ, ᓇᒻᒥᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᖃᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᐃᑏᑉ ᑭᙵᕐᓂ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑏᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᕆᔩᓪᓗ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᖅᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᒋᐊᕈᑕᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᓄᑖᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓈᕐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᑎᔪᒥᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᑎᒋᑦᓱᑎᒍ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓯᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓂᒃ. ᐊᒥᓱᒐᓚᓐᓂ, ᐃᓚᒍᑦᓯᐅᔾᔨᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᔨᒋᑦᓯᒪᔭᑦᑕ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᓯᖅᑐᖅᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑕᑯᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᖏᑦᑐᒧᑦ ᐃᓱᒻᒪᓯᐅᔪᑦ.

Itee Pootoogook (1951 ‑ 2014)
Four Women Working on the Polar Bear Skin 2011
coloured pencil and graphite on black paper
56.2 x 76.2 cm
Gift of Christopher Bredt and Jamie Cameron
McMichael Canadian Art Collection

ᑖᓐᓇ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᖅ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᐃᑦᑐᐃᙳᐊᑕᖅᓯᓂᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᒪᒃᒪᐃᑯᒧᑦ 48−ᓂᒃ ᐊᐃᑏ ᓴᓴᐅᒐᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᐊᑦᓯᔨᓄᑦ ᔭᐃᒥ ᑳᒧᕋᓐ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑯᕆᔅᑕᕗ ᕗᕋᑦ.

Exhibition Organizer