Experimental Prints from Baker Lake

Ever since Baker Lake’s print shop was forced to suspend operations in 1990 for financial reasons, many in the Inuit art world have hoped for printmaking’s successful return to the community. While such a return has still not happened, the most promising attempt was made in the mid 90s. The Nunavut Arctic College Drawing and Printing Program brought together experienced and inexperienced artists for a period of two years. The program’s purpose was to expose the artists to new and less costly printing techniques including reductive woodblock, engraving and chine collé.

Veteran two-dimensional artists such as Janet Kigusiuq and Victoria Mamnguqsualak express their familiar imagery of shamans and Inuit legends in ways that are often startling. Artists new to drawing and printmaking such as Nancy Sevoga and Tony Anguhadluq (adopted son of legendary artist Luke Anguhadluq) have emerged as highly unique creators of more idiosyncratic imagery.

As this modestly sized exhibition of 38 works will demonstrate, the results of these technical experiments were often surprising and fresh—and full of promise for the future. Many of the images were printed in small editions of five or six, and only a few have ever been shown in the South before. The exhibition will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of Inuit printmaking.