INUIT ARTIST ANNIE POOTOOGOOK BORN
Born in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Annie was from a family of noted Inuit artists. She began making art at age 28. Her chosen medium was pen and colored pencils. With cousin Shuvinai Ashoona, she introduced an alternative view of the Inuit experience. Instead of depicting animals, hunting, and myths, the two drew on personal concerns. Annie’s art, called by some “narrative realism,” involved line drawings with figures profiled in child-like fashion. The situation is what was important. In 2006, Annie received the prestigious Sobey Art Award and her life suddenly changed. She showed in the 2007 Biennale de Montréal, was featured in a documentary, and participated in the Art Basel art fair and Documenta 12 in Germany. In 2009–10, she had an exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. However, she produced little new work after moving to Ottawa in 2007. Annie died in Ottawa on September 19, 2016.
Source: Russell Bingham, “Annie Pootoogook,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 12/17/2013. Retrieved 7/13/2019,https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/annie-pootoogook Drawing: Annie Pootoogook, 2006, untitled. Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts.
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