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Shared History:
The Drawings of
Pitseolak Ashoona


Curated by Christine Lalonde

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of four Inuit women facing forward and wearing traditional parkas. In the centre, in a yellow parka, is a kneeling woman giving birth while another woman holds her up from behind.

Pitseolak Ashoona’s body of work, its range and depth, was achieved through two decades of diligent effort and considerable creative energy. One of the first Inuit to create images of traditional life, Pitseolak contributed to the establishment of a modern Inuit art form that has achieved worldwide popular and commercial success. At the same time, her artworks play a vital role in the transmission of Inuit traditional knowledge and values. The legacy of her influence continues to be felt today. For more on Pitseolak Ashoona read Christine Lalonde’s Pitseolak Ashoona: Life & Work.



About the Curator: Christine Lalonde

Christine Lalonde is Associate Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. She is actively engaged with Inuit artists in northern communities and urban centres in Canada and abroad. Lalonde has explored experimental approaches to presenting work by Indigenous artists, providing a balance between commemorating their artistic accomplishments and raising awareness of critical issues.



Banner Image: Pitseolak Ashoona, drawing for print Memories of Childbirth (detail), 1976, coloured felt-tip pen on paper, 24.1 x 35.6 cm, collection of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd., on loan to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario.

Gallery

Black and white pencil drawing by Pitseolak Ashoona of an Inuit woman wearing an amauti (a woman’s parka), an elaborate hairstyle with buns on each side of her head, and facial tattoos.

Tattooed Woman, 1960

Black and white pencil drawing by Pitseolak Ashoona depicting two Inuit artists wearing traditional clothing and holding up artworks on large sheets of paper. To the side is another figure, holding a bird by the neck, pointing at one of the artworks.

The Critic, c.1963

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of an Inuit woman in traditional clothing sitting on the ground and reaching up towards a group of flying white birds.

Untitled (Birds Flying Overhead), c.1966–67

Print of an illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of three Inuit men stacking stones to make an inukshuk (a stone marker). Three birds hover overhead.

Innukshuk Builders, 1968

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of the head and shoulders of an Inuit man who is facing forward. He has a mustache and short beard and is wearing a coat with a brown hood and yellow lining.

Portrait of Ashoona, c.1970

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona depicting a legend of a woman who transforms into a narwhal. It is divided into two diamond-shaped frames stacked on top of each other. Inside the top diamond is a scene of a woman with long, braided hair standing on a cliff edge with a narwhal in the water below her. Inside the bottom diamond, a large bird with its wings outstretched stands among other smaller birds. In the centre of the artwork, on either side of the diamond frames, are aquatic creatures with fins.

Legend of the Woman Who Turned into a Narwhal, c.1974

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of a busy outdoor scene. People and birds stand on multi-coloured brown hills while people below set up camp, sitting in a tent structure and arranging stones into rings for a fire pit.

Summer Camp Scene, c.1974

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of four Inuit women facing forward and wearing traditional parkas. In the centre, in a yellow parka, is a kneeling woman giving birth while another woman holds her up from behind.

Drawing for print Memories of Childbirth, 1976

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of a figure in a yellow parka sitting on a tall hill in front of a pile of stacked stones (likely a grave marker).

Untitled (Solitary Figure on the Landscape), c.1980

Black and white pencil drawing by Pitseolak Ashoona of an Inuit woman wearing an amauti (a woman’s parka), an elaborate hairstyle with buns on each side of her head, and facial tattoos.

Tattooed Woman, 1960

Black and white pencil drawing by Pitseolak Ashoona depicting two Inuit artists wearing traditional clothing and holding up artworks on large sheets of paper. To the side is another figure, holding a bird by the neck, pointing at one of the artworks.

The Critic, c.1963

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of an Inuit woman in traditional clothing sitting on the ground and reaching up towards a group of flying white birds.

Untitled (Birds Flying Overhead), c.1966–67

Print of an illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of three Inuit men stacking stones to make an inukshuk (a stone marker). Three birds hover overhead.

Innukshuk Builders, 1968

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of the head and shoulders of an Inuit man who is facing forward. He has a mustache and short beard and is wearing a coat with a brown hood and yellow lining.

Portrait of Ashoona, c.1970

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona depicting a legend of a woman who transforms into a narwhal. It is divided into two diamond-shaped frames stacked on top of each other. Inside the top diamond is a scene of a woman with long, braided hair standing on a cliff edge with a narwhal in the water below her. Inside the bottom diamond, a large bird with its wings outstretched stands among other smaller birds. In the centre of the artwork, on either side of the diamond frames, are aquatic creatures with fins.

Legend of the Woman Who Turned into a Narwhal, c.1974

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of a busy outdoor scene. People and birds stand on multi-coloured brown hills while people below set up camp, sitting in a tent structure and arranging stones into rings for a fire pit.

Summer Camp Scene, c.1974

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of four Inuit women facing forward and wearing traditional parkas. In the centre, in a yellow parka, is a kneeling woman giving birth while another woman holds her up from behind.

Drawing for print Memories of Childbirth, 1976

Illustration by Pitseolak Ashoona of a figure in a yellow parka sitting on a tall hill in front of a pile of stacked stones (likely a grave marker).

Untitled (Solitary Figure on the Landscape), c.1980

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Shared History: The Drawings of Pitseolak Ashoona