Marion Tuu’luq
May 6 to July 18
The
exhibition Marion Tuu’luq (organized and circulated by the National
Gallery of Canada) brought together 37 fascinating works on cloth by one of
Canada’s foremost Inuit artists. With
vivid colour, delicate embroidery, and lively appliqués, Baker Lake artist
Marion Tuu’luq illustrated her experience of life in the Canadian Arctic
before and after the massive social, economic and political changes that took
place throughout the twentieth century. Her
wall hangings reflect the significance of land and family to the Inuit people
and depict the joys, hardships and realities of change.
This
retrospective of Tuu’luq’s remarkable work began its tour at the National
Gallery of Canada in fall 2002. For
more than two years, Tuu’luq had worked closely with guest curator Marie
Bouchard and associate curator Marie Routledge to prepare for the exhibition,
but she did not witness the realization of their efforts.
On September 22, Tuu’luq died at the age of ninety-one, just two weeks
before the opening reception.
This
exhibition represented over twenty years of Tuu’luq’s extraordinary artistic
accomplishments. Born around 1910 in the Chantry Inlet/Back River area of
Nunavut, she lived a traditional, nomadic life on the land. In the 1960s, the threat of starvation compelled her family
to move to the settlement of Baker Lake. Tuu’luq
was profoundly changed by her estrangment from the rhythms of the nomadic life;
although, she was relieved to have escaped the hardships of life on the land.
Tuu’luq
learned to sew from the women in her family who made hardy clothing and footwear
that protected their husbands and children from the harsh elements.
She brought a unique decorative flair and artistry to her designs, as
well as making the clothing wind and water proof.
In 1970, art advisors Jack and Sheila Butler introduced a new art making
program to Baker Lake that gave artists like Tuu’luq the opportunity to marry
her sewing skills with artistic expression.
From the outset, Tuu’luq’s work showed great detail and a delightful
sense of humour. Her wall hangings
reflect a unified vision of traditional Inuit life with human, animal and spirit
figures linked together in dynamic designs.
The
works in this exhibition were located by Marie Bouchard in both public and
private collections throughout North America, including two wall hangings from
the
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre collection:
Tele-Vision Spirits
(c 1980) and Composition (c 1981).
Bouchard says that ‘it was a deeply satisfying journey honouring the
work of a woman she respects as an artist and loves as a friend.’
The exhibition Marion Tuu’luq featured art work showing the
particular experience and remarkable imagination of one Inuit woman whose
‘singular vision celebrated the eternal recurrence of life and the conviction
that what the Inuit dread most – extinction – will not occur.’
This exhibition was presented with the financial support of the Museum Assistance Program, Exhibition Circulation Fund through the Department of Canadian Heritage; The Canada Council for the Arts; and the Ontario Arts Council.
The Exhibition Reception and Gallery Talk by Guest Curator Marie Bouchard was on Thursday, May 6, 2004 at 12:30 p.m. followed by a dessert reception.
Images:
Top: Composition (c 1981)
Purchased with funds raised by the Art Centre Volunteers, 1988
Left: One Man's Dream (1988)
The Winnipeg Art Gallery, on loan from Marie Bouchard and James
McLeod
Right: Tele-Vision Spirits (c
1980)
Purchased with funds raised by the Art Centre Volunteers, 1988