Description:

Kenojuak Ashevak ᑭᓄᐊᔪᐊ ᐊᓯᕙ, CC, RCA (1927-2013), Kinngait (Cape Dorset)

UNTITLED (WOMAN KNEELING), 1994/1995

coloured pencil and ink drawing, signed in syllabics; dated; embossed with the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative chop; inscribed verso: "DR080620 / CD040-2527-abd-94/95-16 - 51 x 53.7"

Estimate: $3,000—4,000

    Provenance:
  • Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
    Private Collection, Ontario
  • Dimensions:
  • sheet 20 x 21 in — 50.8 x 53.3 cm
  • Artist Name:
  • Kenojuak Ashevak ᑭᓄᐊᔪᐊ ᐊᓯᕙ, CC, RCA (1927-2013)
  • Medium:
  • coloured pencil and ink drawing
  • Notes:
  • One of two original drawings by Kenojuak in this auction, this example is notable for its relation to the artist’s famous 1960 stonecut, The Woman Who Lives in the Sun. Though this drawing was made over 30 years later, the bulbous rays which flank the central composition can be seen to be more refined and decorative versions of that earlier sun’s blaze.

    In the Inuit cosmology, the sun is identified as female while the moon is male, in direct contrast to most other cultures’ reversed gender roles. Though narratives vary across the vast territory of the Arctic, the broad myth tells of two siblings, the moon-brother (Taqqiq) and his sun-sister (Siqniq). Taqqiq – either accidentally or on purpose – fondles or has sex with Siqniq. In retaliation, she lights a torch and chases him around the community to shame him. The moon, not to be outdone, chases her in return, and the two run so far that they end up in the sky to pursue each other for eternity. (1)

    For the Inuit, the sun is largely absent for much of the year and is not relied on for agriculture or even wayfinding – an Arctic moon is a perfectly adequate substitute for hunters in deep winter. Yet the sun’s return after the long polar night is marked by special festivities and rituals, signifying the beginning of a new year and the return of easier hunting conditions. Lengthening days are cause for happiness and celebration in the Arctic, which might have prompted Kenojuak to draw this portrait of a woman kneeling in the sun.

    (1) Helga Goetz and William E. Taylor, The Inuit Print: a travelling exhibition of the National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada, and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (Ottawa: National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada, 1977), 58.
  • Condition:
  • Overall very good condition. Clean and vibrant. Some minor handling dents. Unframed. Please contact the specialist for further information.

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May 29, 2024 7:00 PM EDT
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
CA$0 CA$249 CA$10
CA$250 CA$499 CA$25
CA$500 CA$999 CA$50
CA$1,000 CA$1,999 CA$100
CA$2,000 CA$4,999 CA$250
CA$5,000 CA$9,999 CA$500
CA$10,000 CA$19,999 CA$1,000
CA$20,000 CA$49,999 CA$2,000
CA$50,000 CA$99,999 CA$5,000
CA$100,000 CA$299,999 CA$10,000
CA$300,000 CA$999,999 CA$25,000
CA$1,000,000 CA$1,999,999 CA$50,000
CA$2,000,000 CA$2,999,999 CA$100,000
CA$3,000,000 CA$4,999,999 CA$200,000
CA$5,000,000 + CA$300,000