Born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1958, Qavavau Manumie was raised in Kinngait. Recognized as one of the most gifted printmakers of his generation, he is also distinguished by his surreal ink-and-pencil drawings. His work is marked by a striking stylistic and thematic diversity. Alongside Shuvinai Ashoona, he belongs to the second generation of Inuit artists to receive critical acclaim from the contemporary-art audience in Canada.
Qavavau Manumie’s imaginative drawings—imbued with humor and whimsy—offer both literal and symbolic depictions of Inuit legends and mythology, Arctic wildlife, and the contemporary realities of life in the North, particularly in relation to climate change. In this delightfully surprising universe, animals, humans, and hybrid creatures interact in unlikely, off-kilter, and absurd scenarios. Animals take center stage, often occupying the focal point of the composition, while human figures orbit around them, symbolizing an egalitarian relationship.
Across his oeuvre, Qavavau unfolds a vibrant bestiary that celebrates, exhaustively, the richness and diversity of Arctic fauna. Orcas, caribou, polar bears, narwhals, belugas, hares, fish, gulls, and other creatures are elevated under his hand to the status of sacred figures—on par with Inuit gods and goddesses. Like icons or holy representations, these animals are typically presented without narrative or landscape context, isolated against neutral backgrounds. Through this aesthetic choice, Manumie underscores the importance and sanctity of beings threatened by climate change.
The graphite-pencil drawings by Qavavau are distinguished by their softness and luminosity. With a delicate, almost evanescent touch and vibrant, glowing hues, the artist renders the world around him with both precision and poetry. In his interpretations of tales and legends, Manumie sometimes introduces technological elements—cameras, helicopters or airplanes—thereby weaving a bridge between tradition and modernity.
His work is included in a number of public and private collections such as:
Canadian Museum of History
National Gallery of Canada
Ackland Art Museum
Art Gallery of Ontario
Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection, 1959–1999 (Kinngait/Cape Dorset, Nunavut)
Government of Nunavut
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre
Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto
