An exhibit featuring the work of Ningiukulu (Ning) Teevee brings 57 of her drawings and prints to the WAG-Qaumajuq. Ningiukulu Teevee: Stories from the Arctic opens the evening of May 6 as part of WAG Wednesday Nights. The exhibit will remain on display into the winter.
A tour of the exhibit with curator Darlene Coward Wight is scheduled for May 16th. And we are planning for IAS members to have an opportunity to tour the exhibit with her later in the summer. (Stay tuned for more information on that.)
About Ningiukulu Teevee and this exhibit
Both a graphic artist and writer, Teevee is based in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), where she “connects Inuit storytelling with contemporary art” through bold designs and often playful imagery. She began drawing when young, and her work first appeared in Kinngait’s annual print collection in 2004. Teevee’s artistry was recognized in 2023 when she received the 2023 Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award. Her work is currently featured each evening as illuminated animations on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.
A number of Teevee’s prints and drawings illustrate different episodes of the fabled interactions between an owl and a raven. In this story, two old women—Owl and Raven—are chatting together. Raven says, “I should like to decorate your dress.” Owl agrees and Raven takes some soot from her lamp and creates the spots which we now see on the Snowy Owl’s feathers. Owl then asks to decorate Raven’s dress, but first, she makes her a pair of boots. Raven is very excited and begins hopping about. Owl tells Raven that she cannot do her work if Raven does not sit still, but Raven continues to hop from one foot to the other. Owl becomes impatient, and empties the soot from the lamp over Raven. Thus Raven becomes entirely black and flies away, crying “Qaq, qaq!” (From the soon-to-be-available exhibit catalog Ningiukulu Teevee: Stories from the Arctic.)
The exhibit includes 57 pieces: 30 drawings created between 2009 – 2023 and 27 prints from 2004 – 2023, including her first two prints, which were produced by master lithographer Pitseolak Niviaqsi.
The exhibit follows a smaller international one in 2024. Like that earlier exhibit, pieces for Ningiukulu Teevee: Stories from the Arctic are drawn entirely from the Art in Practice Collection of Cholakis Dental Group.
Dr. Ernest Cholakis developed an interest in the Arctic as a dental student and has collected work by Teevee for over a decade. (He was also the Chair of the WAG’s Board of Governors during the period when Qaumajuq was conceived and constructed.) Today the Cholakis Dental Group holds the world’s largest corporate collection of work by Teevee. Work that is displayed in their Winnipeg dental offices for patients to enjoy.
Teevee’s drawings are remarkable for their narrative richness and imaginative clarity. Her compositions frequently feature Arctic animals, mythological figures, and scenes drawn from everyday northern life. Through confident line, playful scale, and a distinctive graphic sensibility, she transforms ancestral storytelling traditions into images that resonate with audiences far beyond the Arctic. (Dr. Ernest Cholakis in the soon-to-be-available exhibit catalog for Ningiukulu Teevee: Stories from the Arctic.)
This print shows Owl and Raven when they were white—before they got coloured. If they had cell phone technology, they would hashtag their story. It’s also the story of the girl who wanted to become a bird. The zipper shows she is transforming into a bird. (Image from the WAG, courtesy of Dorset Fine Arts. Text From the soon-to-be-available exhibit catalog Ningiukulu Teevee: Stories from the Arctic.)
Raven wears the kamiks that Owl gave her, but she is now resigned to her fate of always being black, from the soot thrown on her by Owl. I used the human hands to express how she’s feeling. She is regretting her behaviour when she was hopping around. She wasn’t sitting still, but she’s sitting still now! (From the soon-to-be-available exhibit catalog Ningiukulu Teevee: Stories from the Arctic.)
If you can get to Winnipeg, note that the Ningiukulu Teevee exhibit is in Gallery 6 in the “old” WAG sort of behind the great hall and stairs; NOT in the new Qaumajuq Inuit Center. (The main Qaumajuq gallery will continue to house the Abraham Anghik Ruben Retrospective during this time. A must-see exhibit.)