Annie Pootoogook

Pootoogook grew up in a family of artists all of whom worked out of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, one of the first artist Co-ops established in the north in 1960.

Her family worked in multiple mediums and styles and Pootoogook became interested in art at an early age.

Her mother, Napachie Pootoogook, was a draftswoman and her father, Eegyvudluk Pootoogook, was a printmaker and stone sculptor.

Pootoogook was the granddaughter of Pitseolak Ashoona a renowned graphic artist, the niece of printmaker Kananginak Pootoogook and the cousin of draftswoman Shuvinai Ashoona.

Annie Pootoogook (ᐊᓂ ᐳᑐᒍ, May 11, 1969 – September 19, 2016) was a Canadian Inuk artist known for her pen and coloured pencil drawings.

In her art, Pootoogook often portrayed the experiences of those in her community of Kinngait (then known in English as Cape Dorset), in northern Canada, and memories and events from her own life.

Annie Pootoogook was born on May 11, 1969, in Cape Dorset (now Kinngait), Canada.

Pootoogook began making art in 1997 at the age of 28.

She developed her skills working alongside family members and Elders at the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in Cape Dorset, Nunavut.

In her early career she was often told by the Co-op studio managers that her works about contemporary Inuit life, commenting on consumerism and southern influences in the north, would not sell because they went against the prevailing themes that the Co-op deemed to be of interest to the southern art market - namely, images from Inuit mythology or scenes from nature.

The 2000s were Pootoogook's most productive years.

She had two exhibitions at Feheley Fine Arts in Toronto.

The director of the gallery, Patricia Feheley, was the first dealer to showcase Pootoogook's work, initially in a group exhibition titled The Unexpected in 2001, and later, in a solo show titled Annie Pootoogook—Moving Forward: Works on Paper in 2003.

This was her first solo exhibition and was important for her career because it made her name more widely known.

It was between 2001 and 2007 that Pootoogook was the most prolific in her art making.

During this time, she drew intimate home interior scenes depicting alcoholism, violence, and domestic abuse, the everyday experiences of a woman living in the Canadian north, the hardships faced by northern communities, and the impact of technology on traditional Inuit life.

Pootoogook solidified her style and content during this period beginning to draw images that could be easily attributed to her.

She worked as an independent artist during this period, leaving the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in 2001.

After an extremely successful, eponymously named, solo show at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, in 2006, Pootoogook started to gain national attention outside of the art world and Inuit art market.

She attended the important Glenfiddich Artists in Residence program, in Dufftown, Scotland.

It was her first time out of the country and working outside of the regular hours of the Kinngait Studio.

She found the experience isolating, but she produced a number of rich and important works while there.

In 2006, after her residency, Pootoogook was named the first Inuk recipient of the prestigious Sobey Art Award.

A new category was even created in order for her to be nominated: "Prairies & the North".

In addition to the prize winnings of $50,000, Pootoogook received a show at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

With the new public recognition of her work and winnings, Pootoogook decided to stay in Montreal.

She had a difficult time there without the support of the Co-op and her community.

Although she returned to Kinngait for a few months, she soon moved south again, this time to the nation's capital, Ottawa, in hopes of more success.

Pootoogook produced drawings documenting her life in the city, such as Annie and Andre (2009).

In Ottawa, she worked with other Inuit artists and exhibited her drawings at SAW Gallery.

Over the course of her career, she created over 1,000 works on paper and it was during this time that she began to be recognized as an artist outside of the Inuit community.

Pootoogook was known for her drawings created in pen and coloured pencils that depict contemporary Inuit life.

Inuit life and experiences influenced her career immensely, providing her with the subject matter that she would later render.

Her work primarily focused on three subject types: the everyday experiences of women living in the Canadian north, the hardships faced by northern communities and the impact of technology on traditional Inuit life.

In addition, her work often juxtaposes intimate home interior scenes with scenes of alcoholism, violence, and domestic abuse – lessening the safety of the home.

Her work is largely inspired by her mother Napachie Pootoogook and her grandmother Pitseolak Ashoona, both of whom are well known Inuit artists.

Like her mother and grandmother, Pootoogook worked in the Inuit tradition of sulijuk which means "it is true."

This means that she depicted life as she saw it without adding too much of her hand into the composition.

Pootoogook is noted for titling her work for exactly what they depict, e.g. "Man Abusing his Partner", where a man is shown abusing his wife.

Pootoogook's compositions utilize minimal line drawings with figures posed in frontal or profile views.