I am the Light of Happiness

Tunirrusiangit is Inuktitut for “the gift they gave”.  It is the name of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario of the art of Inuk artists Kenojuak Ashevak and her nephew Tim Pitsiulak.

Here is the Inuktitut “about the artists”.  

ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᓅᖓᔪᑦ

ᑭᙵᕐᓃᓐᙶᖅᑑᒃ (ᑕᐃᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ Cape Dorset) ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᐋᓯᕙᒃ (1927–2013), ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᑖᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᔪᖅ “ᐊᓈᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓄᑦ.” ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᑕᐸᐃᕐᓇᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᐊᕈᑎᓂᒃ. ᐋᓯᕙᒃ ᐱᕕᐊᕆᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐱᑦᓯᐅᓛᑉ (1967–2016), ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒻᒪᕆᓕᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᖅᑕᐅᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓅᖓᔪᓄᑦ ᑮᑕᑲᐃᓐᓇᐹᓘᒐᓗᐊᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐆᒪᔪᙳᐊᓂᒃ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᑦᑎᐅᑉ ᐃᔨᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ, ᐊᑐᖅᓯᓐᓈᖅᓱᓂ ᐅᐊᔭᒨᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓃᙶᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ.  

Kenojuak Ashevak (1927 – 2013) lived much of her life in Kinngait (previously known a Cape Dorset, Nunavut and is known as the “grandmother of Inuit art.”  You may recognize her iconic “Enchanted Owl”.

 

Enchanted Owl by Kenojuak Ashevak

Her art speaks for itself but the exhibition included a video of Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory (Iqualuit) performing her poem I am the Light of Happiness about Ashevak.  Bathory is an uaajeerneq (Greenlandic mask dance) performer, an Inuk artist and a co-curator of Tunirrusiangit.  I found this performance mesmerizing and her Inuk perspective will make you think about what we call Canadian art. You can see Ashevak's art behind her as she tells the story.  This is part of the new story of Canada that is emerging.