Kenojuak Ashevak Inuit Artist

Kenojuak Ashevak is probably the best known and most acclaimed of all the remarkable Inuit artists

who have emerged in the North in the last half century. Her own story is as remarkable as the story

of Cape Dorset and its printmakers and sculptors. Many of Kenojuak Ashevak’s drawings, prints and

sculptures have become icons, etched into the public consciousness.

Her bold shapes, bright colours and fantastical creatures have endured for some 50 years,

reflecting a unique vision and a special relationship to the land. Born in 1927 in Ikerrasak, a campsite

on southern Baffin Island, she lived a traditional nomadic life on the land before settling her family

in Cape Dorset, where she still lives.  Kenojuak Ashevak was featured

in a National Film Board production, Eskimo Artist – Kenojuak.

Her graphic images have been used on Canadian stamps  and coins.

She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy

and the recipient of two honorary doctorates. It’s amazing how her work remains so contemporary.