Artist Info
Anna Kingwatsiak
Anna Kingwatsiak was a graphic artist from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Born in a camp near Kimmirut (Lake Harbour) in 1911, Kingwatsiak was the oldest child born to Kingwatsiak and Hadluitok. Most of her family moved closer to Kinngait in the 1930s, however, Kingwatsiak stayed in Kimmirut with her husband, Pitseolak, until 1961. After the death of her husband due to complications with tuberculosis treatments, and the marriage of Pitseolak’s son Shu, Kingwatsiak was alone in Kimmirut and relocated to Kinngait to be closer to her sisters and brother. In 1963 Kingwatsiak went to the south to a hospital for two years of tuberculosis treatment, returning afterwards to settle in Kinngait.
Kingwatsiak began drawing in 1967 in Kinngait, focusing on themes of Inuit life and traditions. Many of her siblings were artists in their own right: her brothers Iyola Kingwatsiak and Mikigak Kingwatsiak were sculptors and graphic artists, and her two sisters, Keeleemeeoomee Samualie and Tye Adla were also graphic artists. Kingwatsiak’s sister-in-law, Iyola’s wife, Pootoogook Kingwatsiak was a graphic artist, and Kingwatsiak’s niece, Keeleemeeoomee’s daughter, Eliyakota Samualie, was another renowned graphic artist.
Several of Kingwatsiak’s drawings and prints have been featured in the Cape Dorset annual print collections in 1968, 1970, 1971, and 1973. Her work has not yet been exhibited by the ULAG.
