In the Labyrinth

Remembering Kenojuak Ashevak: Inuit Artist

Canadian Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak died last week (January 8, 2013) at the age of 85. She was recognized as one of the notable participants in the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative studio, also known as the Kinngait studio. She contributed original art for a new print every year from 1959 up to 2012 for the Cape Dorset Print Collections, and throughout the 1960s her image "The Enchanted Owl" was featured on Canadian postage stamps and coins. In addition to myth and nature, her work was also inspired by the rich tradition of women's textiles -- the elaborate design work sewed into traditional clothing which she also did.

In 2010, Kenojuak Ashevak moved into producing large drawings and Cape Dorset print-shop manager Bill Ritchie recalls, “Her house is tiny, so I can’t imagine how she managed to work on those 4 foot by 4 foot or 6 foot by 8 foot drawings. There was nothing to hold her down. She just absorbed it and figured out the material and she did it. Kenojuak was never one to back down from a challenge.”

She is being remembered across Canada in numerous articles and memorials. Here are three: Indian Country Media Network (which also has a little video interview with her), Canadian Art, and The NYT. More of her art can be seen on 50Watts which has an extraordinary collection of her beautiful and mythical work.

The Enchanted Owl

 

Custodians of Ancient Lore

 

Gathering of Throat Singers

 

Kenojuak Ashevak, 1980.

 

And here is a terrific video about the Kinngait studio from five years ago which also includes a bit of film on Kenojuak Ashevak as well as a glimpse of studio's unique printing process.

A Moment of Dress-Lust

For this beautiful, hand embroidered, silk 1940's cocktail dress -- currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which I guess  makes a lot of sense. Still...it does inspire.

 

Alicia Baladan: "Una Storia Guaraní"

Alicia Baladan is an Italian illustrator whose work has given me yet another reason for massively improving my Italian. I love this work -- with its beautiful palette of colors and evocative imagery. Her latest children's book "Una Storia Guaraní" is about the Guaraní Indians of Uruguay and their sacred and incredibly useful relationship to the spider. (You can see more of her moleskin sketches for this project on her blog.) Here's a brief description of the book from the publisher:

"For the indigenous Guaraní the spider is the most sacred animal. When a child is born, you put a spider in the window of the hut to defend him from other insects and some mothers, in hot weather, they build the web around the cradle. The webs also treat the wounds of the men returned from hunting. This is why the web is the most precious gift. But it is also the most difficult to obtain. Deciding to give his beloved a spider web, a boy enters into the forest, encoutnering strange people, animals, and mysterious, arcane presences. A story of initiation into adulthood, enchanted and fragile, to remind us of the delicate balance on which rest the life of the heart and of nature." (I cleaned up the google translation which got a bit wonky towards the end.)