About —
The exhibition Revival: Printmaking in Nunavik (2014-2019) brings together some sixty linocuts produced during touring workshops given in nine Nunavik communities. It will be presented in the Harnois gallery of the Musée d’art de Joliette (MAJ), from October 2, 2021, to January 9, 2022. To curate the exhibition, Maggie Napartuk and Qumaq Mangiuk Iyaituk, two Nunavik artists involved in the project since its inception, have joined Montreal artist Lyne Bastien, who has contributed to the revival of printmaking in the region.
The exhibition is part of the programming that parallels the 12th Biennale internationale d’estampe contemporaine de Trois-Rivières. It is also the outcome of a partnership with the Avataq Cultural Institute, which is lending linocuts from its collection for the MAJ event. In addition, thanks to Avataq’s support, a reduced version of Revival will be presented in several Nunavik communities in 2022; a catalogue will also be published.
Fifty years after the first experiences of engraving in Puvirnituq in the late 1960s, one thing can be said: Inuit artists remain true to themselves and to their values and ancestral symbols. Most of the images created by contemporary artists conjure Inuit traditions and customs, testifying to an abiding desire to preserve this living culture. Revival presents current practices in Nunavik, with a collection of prints that present Inuit reality in all its richness and diversity.
This exhibition, presented by the Musée d’art de Joliette in collaboration with the Biennale internationale d’estampe contemporaine de Trois-Rivières and the Avataq Cultural Institute, is supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Makivik Corporation.
Artists
Mary Adams, Piatsi Ainalik, Davidialuk Alasua Amitu, Cecilia Angnatuk, Elaisa Annahatak, Irrayu Anogak, Maggie Cain, Putulik Ilisituk, Lucasi Iyaituk, Qumaq M. Iyaituk, Mattiusi Iyaituk, Jessie Koneak Jones, Eva K. Kasudluak, Sara Lisa Kasudluak, Passa Mangiuk, Siasi Mark, Maggie Napartuq, Johnny Oovaut, Lisi Maggie Thomassie, Mary Paningajak, Louisa Pauyungie, Ulaayu Pilurtuut, Manu Qaunnaaluk, Aida Qumaluk, Siasi Smiler Irqumia, Joe Talirunili, Mark Tertiluk, Charleen Watt
Biography —
Maggie Napartuk was born in Kuujjuaq in 1981 and lives in Inukjuak. She adopted lino printing as a mode of expression in 2014, after having participated in a workshop in Puvirnituq. For an artist residency in Montreal (2015 CALQ grant), she produced a series of prints that have been acquired by the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec. Napartuk’s detailed linoprints reflect the vigour of Inuit traditions and celebrate the relationship between the land and its people. The artist now conducts touring workshops in lino printmaking offered by the Kativik Ilisarnilitriniq school board throughout the communities of Nunavik.
Qumaq M. Iyaituk was born in Ivujivik, in 1954. She is passionately interested in traditional storytelling and stories of Inuit life. From 2010 to 2015, a grant from the Nunavik program for culture and the arts enabled her to develop workshops on the creation of hand-crafted books illustrating tales in watercolour that she gave in many communities in Nunavik, as well as in Montreal, Winnipeg, and Paris. Iyaituk created numerous lino prints that have been exhibited at the Feheley Fine Arts gallery in Toronto (2017) and the Papier art fair in Montreal (2018).
Lyne Bastien was born in Abitibi in 1957. With a Master’s in visual arts (specialized in printmaking) from Concordia University, where she also taught, she explores various forms of expression, from drawing and painting. From 2014 to 2021, she lived mainly in Nunavik, first in Puvirnituq, then in Ivujivik. Bastien accompanied many artists from Nunavik in the production of engravings and drawings. She has also taken part in many solo and group exhibitions. Her works have been acquired by, among others, BNP Paribas, the Cirque du Soleil, and Loto-Québec.
Images in the banner:
Revival: Printmaking in Nunavik (2014-2019), views of the exhibition at the Musée d’art de Joliette, 2021. Photos: Romain Guilbault