Women in Charge: Contemporary Inuit Artists

The radical changes undergone by Inuit society in Arctic Canada during the period starting with the 'discovery' of contemporary art in 1948, the more frequent contacts with Canadian counterparts and the relocation of many Inuits in the cities of Quebec and Ontario, have brought more visibility to Inuit women and women artists in particular. In the last decade Canadian museums and galleries have devoted an increasing number of exhibitions - solo and collective ones, to Inuit women. Art is a relatively new means of expression for Inuit women. It exploded at the end of the 50s in the Cape Dorset area (Southwest of Baffin Island, on the Hudson Strait) with a large production in the graphic arts, drawings and especially prints. The women of Cape Dorset soon reached levels of excellence widely recognised. Inuit graphic art speaks eloquently in terms of gender, through a feminine lens which describes colours, clothing, daily activities but also difficulties encountered, traditions to be transmitted, the beauty that surfaces from the pale landscape (O. Leroux). Everyday experiences and memories are rooted in the terrain of 'traditional' societies and the familiarity with the new, estranging urban habitat: the works of the Cape Dorset artists speak openly to the viewer bringing him in contact with their worries and aspirations. The exhibition will be held at Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica ñ Calcografia, Rome from April-May 2011. The artists presented in this exhibition of Inuit women artists - the first of this kind to be held in Italy - belong to different generations. Works by Piteseolak Ashoona, Napachie Pootogook, Annie Pootogook, Shuvinai Ashoona, Siassie Kenneally and Ningeokuluk Teevee are illustrated and commented. Text in English, French HItalian. AUTHOR: Elvira Stefania Tiberini is Associate Professor of Ethnology at the University of Rome La Sapienza. SELLING POINTS: -Introduction to the work of Inuit women artists whose work has gained widespread recognition in the past decade -Of interest to all who are keen to explore gender issues in contemporary art ILLUSTRATIONS 42 colour illustrations