SHUVINAI ASHOONA (1961 - )

Born in 1961, Shuvinai Ashoona began to draw in 1995. While never formally trained in graphic arts, the daughter of artists Kiawak and Sorosilooto, has been surrounded by art and artists all her life. Her grandmother is the renowned artist Pitseolak Ashoona and her aunt is Napachie Pootoogook. Shuvinai's work first appeared in the Cape Dorset annual print collection in 1997.

Shuvinai has a reputation of being a private person, but her drawings function as links between her experiences, perceptions, and her audience. Blending a very contemporary style with objects and elements from her traditional Inuit heritage, Shuvinai's drawings are rendered with meticulous detail and precision, depicting life in Cape Dorset.

In the past, Shuvinai's work tended to focus on the Arctic landscape. Today, her work explores a new dynamism through compositions that depict human figures, and utilize a wide colour spectrum.

The evolution in Shuvinai's artistic style points to an increasingly confident hand, and her accomplished graphic creations are drawing audiences nationwide. 

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