Artist Info
Napachie Pootoogook
Napachie Pootoogook was an important graphic artist from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Born in at the Saarruq island camp in the Qikiqtaaluk region in 1938 to acclaimed artist Pitseolak Ashoona, Pootoogook lived a traditional nomadic lifestyle after the death of her father, Ashoona. At the encouragement of her mother, Pootoogook began her artistic pursuits in her early twenties. Working mostly in acrylic, pens, and coloured pencils, Pootoogook’s early works illustrate Inuit spirituality and myths. Pootoogook was extremely prolific, creating over 5,000 drawings in her career.
Pootoogook eventually relocated to Kinngait after her marriage to Eegyvudluk Pootoogook, who was a printmaker and sculptorThe couple had eleven children, although not all survived to adulthood. Annie Pootoogook, a well-known graphic artist, is among their children, undoubtedly influenced by her parents, as well as her uncles and grandmother, Pitseolak Ashoona. Pootoogook’s artistic style was also shaped by the acrylic painting and drawing workshops at the Kinngait Co-operative (previously, the West Baffin Co-operative). She became interested in landscapes and spatial composition. Later pieces illustrated darker aspects of Inuit life, including forced marriage, alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, and starvation.
Pootoogook’s works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, and her prints have been included in almost every Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection since the 1960s until the early 2000s. Most recently, her works have been featured in the ULAG 2019 Stories for the Collection, as well as the 2019 From the Collection exhibition. Her works have also been included in the Level 9 Inuit cases in 2010.
