Just south of the Arctic Circle, next to the southwestern tip of Canada's largest island ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ/Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island), lies the Isle of Dorset. Dorset and the wider Qikiqtaaluk region have been home to the descendants of The Thule for at least 5,000 years and present day Inuit communities continue to survive and flourish amongst these remote landscapes. It is on Dorset Island's northern coast, where the remote hamlet of  ᑭᙵᐃᑦ/Kinngait resides. On the edges between tundra, ice, sea and shore, Kinngait is home to an extraordinary artistic community that since the 1950's has brought brought Inuit art and culture to international attention and renown. 

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Since 1959, the artistic members of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative based in Kinngait, have formed not only the oldest arts organisation in the Canadian Arctic but also the oldest professional printmaking studios in Canada. The Studios in Kinngait, and its commercial arm (Dorset Fine Arts) based in Toronto, support the dissemination of the co-op members’ artistic output across the globe. Since their inception, all 3 organisations have grown alongside Kinngait’s community to support the development of multiple generations of artists; among which are some of Canada's most acclaimed sculptors, graphic artists and printmakers.  

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From contemporary sculpture in traditional materials such as stone, bone and antler, to the graphic mediums of drawing and printmaking, the art of Kinngait directly challenges outdated misconceptions of what Inuit life and art should look like, striding boldly outside of the conventional spheres of ethnography and anthropology. The artists of Kinngait share an imaginative sensitivity to the uniquely hostile yet vibrant qualities of their arctic environment and express them in a diverse range of innovative approaches showcasing the abiding strength of Inuit oral traditions & cultural heritage.

 

Amongst their many subjects is a complex array of Arctic wildlife which inhabits the region and the colossal island and sea landscapes of Qikiqtaaluk. As well as retelling stories from Inuit oral tradition, many artists from Kinngait also focus on depicting the ongoing transformative impacts of arctic colonialism and climate change on the lives of their communities and Qikiqtaaluk’s ancient landscapes. 

 

The art of Kinngait also shares thought provoking and often humorous personal stories of work, family and the mundanities of modern life. In the case of artists such as Shuvinai Ashoona and Ningiukulu Teevee these recounts are interwoven with fantastical, supernatural encounters with the spirits who dwell in their homelands. In this way Inuit art often invites us to reimagine the agential nature of natural phenomena, objects and beings we might otherwise overlook.

 

From Ice flows to Shore: Tales from the Arctic brings you a beautiful selection of prints and drawings from leading and emerging Inuit artists, including prints by acclaimed graphic artists Kenojuak Ashevak, Pitaloosie Saila, Shuvinai Ashoona and Kingmeata Etidlooie.  

 

At Edgelands, we are delighted to be the first gallery in Scotland to present works for sale from Kinngait’s renowned artist community and we warmly welcome you to our inaugural exhibition.