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    MTL

    Chiguer art contemporain is delighted to present for the first time in Montreal a duo exhibition showcasing two Inuit artists from Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset), Nunavut: Qavavau Manumie and Nujalia Quvianaqtuliaq.

    Qavavau Manumie

    Born in Brandon, Manitoba, in 1958, Qavavau Manumie grew up in Kinngait. Recognized as one of the most talented printmakers of his generation, he is equally celebrated for his surrealist drawings in ink and pencil. His work is marked by a remarkable stylistic and thematic diversity. Alongside Shuvinai Ashoona, he belongs to the second generation of Inuit artists to gain critical recognition from contemporary art audiences in Canada.

    Qavavau Manumie’s imaginative drawings, imbued with humor and fantasy, offer both literal and symbolic depictions of Inuit legends and mythology, Arctic wildlife, and the contemporary realities of life in the North, including the effects of climate change. In his amusing and surprising world, animals, humans, and hybrid creatures interact in improbable, offbeat, and absurd situations. Animals hold a predominant place, often positioned at the center of the composition, with human figures orbiting around them, symbolizing an egalitarian relationship.

    Qavavau’s works resemble a true bestiary, celebrating the richness and diversity of Arctic wildlife with exhaustive detail. Orcas, caribou, polar bears, narwhals, belugas, hares, fish, gulls, and other creatures become sacred figures under his pencil, elevated to the rank of deities, akin to Inuit gods and goddesses. Like icons or sacred representations, animals are typically depicted without narrative or landscape context, isolated on neutral backgrounds. Through this aesthetic choice, Manumie emphasizes the importance and sacredness of these beings, which are threatened by climate change.

    Qavavau’s pencil drawings are characterized by their softness and luminosity. With delicate, almost ethereal craftsmanship and vibrant, luminous colors, the artist meticulously and poetically conveys the world around him. In his interpretations of stories and legends, Manumie occasionally integrates technological elements such as cameras, helicopters, or airplanes, bridging tradition and modernity.

    His works are part of several notable collections, including those of the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, QC), the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON), and the Ackland Art Museum (North Carolina, USA).

    Nujalia Quvianaqtuliaq

    Born in Kinngait, Nujalia Quvianaqtuliaq began his career as a graphic artist and printmaker in 2014 as an apprentice at Kinngait Studios. Known for his refined and synthetic depictions of Arctic landscapes, the artist captures the vastness of the northern territory with unique sensitivity and deep reverence for his homeland.

    Through his drawings, Nujalia reveals the grand and little-known panoramas of the Foxe Peninsula, located at the southern tip of Baffin Island. He portrays the infinite beauty of these vast spaces in all their variations, from dawn to dusk and through the changing seasons. His muted, sensual, and solemn landscapes illustrate the rolling tundra, rocky hills sometimes adorned with greenery or pristine snow, and mountain plateaus from which waterfalls and cascading streams flow into winding rivers that meander through valleys before merging with the icy waters of the Arctic. Though often deserted, these majestic expanses are occasionally animated by the presence of local wildlife, such as polar bears and owls, or punctuated by human campsites.

    To structure his landscapes and create a sense of perspective, Nujalia uses bold, contrasting tones. His technique of saturating the paper with crosshatched colored pencil strokes evokes printmaking and lends his works remarkable texture and depth. With his unique framing, vibrant color fields, and the spiritual atmosphere that imbues his compositions, his minimalist works sometimes verge on abstraction, evoking the Color Field painting of Rothko, Newman, or Frankenthaler.

    The artist has participated in national and international exhibitions, and his work has been acquired by the Canada Council Art Bank.

    Œuvres exposées