Untitled

Qavavau was born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1958 where his mother, Paunichea, was hospitalized for treatment of tuberculosis. He returned to Cape Dorset as a very young child and has lived there since. Qavavau has demonstrated a range of stylistic abilities over the years – from the very literal to the more expressive. His work is idiosyncratic and often amusing in his depictions of Inuit legends and mythology, Arctic wildlife and contemporary aspects of Inuit life. Qavavau is the latest among the second generation to attract critical acclaim from the contemporary arts audience in the south.

This artwork is a part of the exhibition, The Penumbral Age. Art in the Time of Planetary Change at Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. We present this piece thanks to the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative. The role of WBEC has significantly expanded to include communications, promotion, advocacy, government relations and special projects as related to the Inuit art of Cape Dorset. As a community owned organization, 90% of Cape Dorset adults are shareholders, profits are distributed back to the community in the form of annual dividends.

P.S. The climate change is a phenomenon we face much longer than some might think. Here are amazing paintings by Emily Carr showing how the landscape changed in Canada in the first decades of the 20th century.