Anirnik Oshuitoq

Anirnik Oshuitoq was a prominent graphic artist and one of the founding artists in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. In 1902, Oshuitoq was born on a whaling boat near Kimmirut (formerly Lake Harbour), NU to Anirmu and Enoosik, and spent most of her early life on the vessel and in various camps around Kimmirut. Oshuitoq married Adla and the couple had four children, with her eldest daughter, Ningeeuga Oshuitoq, being the only one to survive, and would go on to be an artist in her own right. After the death of her first husband, Adla, Oshuitoq married Eepervik and had two more children, both of whom passed away before she was again widowed.
Oshuitoq then joined her daughter, Ningeeuga, who was living with her grandparents, and they travelled from camp to camp outside of Kinngait. After Ningeeuga got married, Oshuitoq settled with her daughter and son-in-law in Kinngait in the early 1960s. Oshuitoq began drawing and her prints were regularly represented in the Cape Dorset print collections until the mid-1970s. Oshuitoq’s vibrant compositions depict figures that are inspired by Inuit folklore and these playful and original images garnered her international recognition.
Particularly interested in the spiritual world, Oshuitoq’s works have been exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her art has most recently been featured in the ULAG’s 2020 Unikkausivut: Stories from the North exhibition.