Artist Info
Tye Adla
Tye Adla was a graphic artist and sculptor from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Born near Kamadjuak in 1936, Adla did not begin her artistic career until after returning from the south where she received tuberculosis treatment in the early 1960s. She and her husband, sculptor Kalai Adla, had similar styles and focused mostly on depictions of animals. The couple had six children, two of whom were adopted.
Little is known about much of Adla’s family life, however, her siblings were all artists in their own right: her brothers Iyola Kingwatsiak and Mikigak Kingwatsiak were sculptors and graphic artists, and her two sisters, Keeleemeeoomee Samualie and Anna Kingwatsiak were also graphic artists. Adla’s sister-in-law, Iyola’s wife, Pootoogook Kingwatsiak was a graphic artist, and Adla’s niece, Keeleemeeoomee’s daughter, Eliyakota Samualie, was another renowned graphic artist.
Her sculpture was shown recently in the student-curated Inuit sculpture installation by the ULAG.
