Tarralik Duffy’s solo exhibition, “Tarralik Duffy: Let’s Go Quickstop” opens on Friday, June 16 at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto. Duffy, who was the 2021 recipient of the Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award, will be exhibiting drawings and sculptural works which reference objects from her own childhood that are iconic in Nunavut and embedded in Inuit contemporary culture. Quickstop was a convenience store chain in northern Canada, and “Let’s go Quickstop” is what Inuit frequently say when going to buy takeout, camping, or hunting provisions. Even though the store’s name has since changed, the phrase lives on in Nunavut. Both nostalgic and humourous, the exhibited works depict products that were for sale during the artist’s childhood, including cigarettes, China Lily Soya Sauce, Crosby’s Molasses, Magic Baking Powder, Pepsi Cola, and Red Rose Tea.
“Tarralik Duffy: Let’s Go Quickstop” is an ongoing exhibition at the AGO. An opening reception will be held on Friday, June 16 from 7-8pm, with the artist and AGO Associate Curator, Indigenous Art – Inuit Art Focus Taqralik Partridge in attendance.
Image: Tarralik Duffy, Carnation, 2021. Digitized pencil drawing. Courtesy of the artist & Art Gallery of Ontario
