 
|
    |
     
|
|
OVILOO TUNNILLIE (1949 - ) |
|||
|
Oviloo is the daughter of Toonoo and Sheojuke, the granddaughter of artist Mary Qayuaryuk and the neice of Qaunaq Mikkigak. Her two brothers, Samonie and Jutai Toonoo, are also known for their sculpture. Oviloo was initially inspired to carve by her father, whose death in 1969 greatly affected her. Oviloo is known for her compelling images of the female body, whether in human form (such as her 'torso' series) or legendary guise (including images of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea), and she frequently returns to the theme of the grieving woman. She has gained an international reputation for her powerful and innovative subject matter and form. Oviloo has worked actively for the past thirty years, enjoying international success in exhibitions since the early 1980s. She is a prolific sculptor with a distinctive modern style. Emotional undertones belie the cool exterior of her sleek figurative work. In recent years, Oviloo moved her family to the south - to Toronto and then Ottawa - where she continued to work as a sculptor. Asked whether modern Inuit should stop making works about traditional themes, Oviloo answered, "No, we don't have to stop. We can still do anything about the past and the future at the same time. Because I am in the city now, I can think differently about what I am going to carve than when I was in Cape Dorset. When I was in the community I used to hear about people who lived long ago, so I carved about them."
|
