Biography
Kenojuak Ashevak is probably the best known and most acclaimed of all the remarkable Inuit artists who have emerged in the North in the last half century. Her own story is as remarkable as the story of Cape Dorset and its printmakers and sculptors. Many of Kenojuak Ashevak’s drawings, prints and sculptures have become icons, etched into the public consciousness. Her bold shapes, bright colours and fantastical creatures have endured for some 50 years, reflecting a unique vision and a special relationship to the land. Born in 1927 in Ikerrasak, a campsite on southern Baffin Island, she lived a traditional nomadic life on the land before settling her family in Cape Dorset, where she still lives. Kenojuak Ashevak was featured in a National Film Board production, Eskimo Artist – Kenojuak, and her graphic images have been used on Canadian stamps. She is a Companion of the Order of Canada, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and the recipient of two honorary doctorates.