Akunnittinni: A Kinngait Family Portrait

Loosely translated, the Inuktitut word Akunnittinni means “between us.” This exhibition chronicles a visual dialogue between an Inuk grandmother, mother, and daughter – Pitseolak Ashoona (1904-1983), Napachie Pootoogook (1938-2002), and Annie Pootoogook (1969- ). 

Their artworks provide a personal and cultural history of three generations of Inuit women whose art practices included autobiographical narratives and chronicled intimate and sometimes harsh memories and historically resonant moments in life. The prints and drawings on view also include sardonic references to pop culture, which now infuses everyday life in Kinngait, as well as nuanced depictions of family and village life. Kinngait is a remote Arctic community located on Dorset Island, Nunavut, Canada. Artists of the region are known internationally for their work, produced in places like the now famous Kinngait Studios (West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative) since the 1940s. Among the most recognized are Pitseolak Ashoona, Napachie Pootoogook, and Annie Pootoogook.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Image: Pitseolak Ashoona (Inuit, 1904–1983), Migration towards Our Summer Camp, 1983 (released in 1984 folio). Lithograph. Courtesy Dorset Fine Arts.