DECEMBER 20, 1949

INUIT SCULPTOR OVILU TUNNILLIE BORN

Ovilu, born in Kangia, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, came from a family of noted Cape Dorset artists. At a young age, due to tuberculosis (TB), Ovilu was taken to a sanitarium in Manitoba. The experience of dehumanization and alienation there was a major theme in her art. Tunnillie carved her first work, Mother and Child, in 1966. Her style is distinctive with themes ranging from alcohol abuse and sexual assault to memories of her time in a TB clinic. Following her first solo exhibition in 1981 at the Canadian Guild of Crafts, she was represented by Dorset Fine Arts in Toronto. In succeeding years, she exhibited internationally. Ovilu’s work is featured in several collections including: Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec; Canadian Museum of Civilization; National Gallery of Canada; Winnipeg Art Gallery; and the Hermitage Museum, Leningrad. Her work is also featured in Keeping our Stories Alive: The Sculpture of Canada’s Inuit. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 2003. Ovilu died on June 12, 2014.

Sources:
Norman Zepp, “Ovilu Tunnille,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2/7/2006; last edited 6/23/2015.  Retrieved 1/31/2024, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ovilu-tunnillie
Wikipedia
Photo: Padraic Ryan, 11/11/2007.  Aboriginal War Veterans Monument, Ottawa, Canada.  Permissive Use.