Feature Interview: Artist Itee Pootoogook’s unique take on contemporary Inuit life

Inuk artist Itee Pootoogook is one of Canada’s most exciting contemporary voices of the moment.

Known for his clean lines and realistic representations of contemporary Inuit life, Pootoogook’s work has been compared to Canadian icons like Alex Colville and Christopher Pratt.

Though Pootoogook’s works have been featured in the annual Cape Dorset print collection, he’s best known for his drawings.

Starting Saturday, September 21, a selection of these works will be exhibited at Feheley Fine Arts, a Toronto gallery.

“They have a stillness and a serenity that is extraordinary,” says gallery owner Pat Feheley. “Even when there’s action… there’s a serenity, almost a dignity, to the works.”

To find out more about Itee Pootoogook and what his work can teach us about Canada’s North, I spoke to Pat Feheley from her Toronto Gallery.

To listen to our conversation, click here

The exhibition runs from September 21 to October 19.

Related Links:

Feheley Fine Arts

The New Raw (Video Documentary), Eye on the Arctic

Dorset Fine Arts

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

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