Kenojuak Ashevak: Life and Legacy

Kenojuak Ashevak was a matriarch of modern Inuit art. Raised on the land in an isolated Arctic community, she went on to break artistic gender barriers, set sales records, and lead her people through profound social change. Kenojuak created complex, rich images with intertwining, overlapping, and flowing forms. She was innovative, with an intuitive sense of composition and an instinct for depicting the interconnectedness of all living things. She lived a life of resilience through personal tragedy, and she created beauty and joy through her prolific art. Kenojuak Ashevak: Life and Legacy is the companion to the traveling exhibition of the same name, presenting dozens of Kenojuak’s prints side by side with their original drawings. In English, French, and Inuktitut, a foreword by Kenojuak’s daughter Silaqi Ashevak introduces readers to life with her famous mother, and an essay by curator Leslie Boyd provides a full, touching history of this pioneering artist of the Far North.

Kenojuak Ashevak

Kenojuak Ashevak (Canadian, Inuit, 1927–2013) was a groundbreaking artist for Kinngait Studios, in the territory of Nunavut, and ultimately a pioneer of modern Inuit art. Raised on the land in an isolated Arctic community, she went on to break artistic gender barriers, set sales records, and navigate profound social change. Throughout her career she created complex, rich images with intertwining, overlapping, and flowing forms. She had an intuitive sense of composition and an instinct for depicting the interconnectedness of all living things. After establishing her reputation in 1960 with The Enchanted Owl—an image so popular it was reproduced on a Canadian postage stamp—she worked nearly nonstop. She contributed to Cape Dorset’s print collection almost every year and completed countless special commissions. Ashevak is widely considered a Canadian national treasure.