Shuvinai Ashoona
Untitled
In Untitled (2015), the main character is an Arctic creature with the head of a polar bear, a bird’s feet, and a different animal’s tail. It stands on top of a plant that appears completely crushed. The creature appears anthropomorphized, wearing human clothes and what looks like a mustache. On the front of the parka jacket, there is an Inuktitut text that provides commentary on the consumption of alcohol and drugs in Inuit communities:
I am so upset
Money I used to buy alcohol
My budget for marijuana
Also my budget for snacks
You have to be like me
A little bit upsetting
This piece draws attention to the social determinants that shape the health and well-being of the Inuit people. It also addresses a topic –the abuse of alcohol and drugs– not usually discussed concerning Inuit art production.
The character’s calm and tender body language contrasts with the severe nature of the text, addressing health and social concerns in a playful and surreal manner. The artist reflects on the intersections of mental health, wellness, and the environment. The piece is a great example of Shuvinai Ashoona’s depiction of Arctic life and the cultural and social changes in the North.
Shuvinai Ashoona is an Inuit artist who works at the Kinngait Studios, a community-run art-making cooperative established in 1959, which serves as the artistic arm of the West Baffin Cooperative. She is the daughter of celebrated Inuit artists Kiawak and Sorosilutu Ashoona. Ashoona began drawing detailed monochromatic landscapes in 1993 and has drawn daily for the past thirty years at Kinngait Studios. Her drawings often depict surreal combinations of places and creatures, with many featuring Arctic sea animals. Rooted in Inuit stories and storytelling, her work presents otherworldly scenes that reclaim attention for preserving the Arctic life and environment. This includes many world-mapping forms and speculative reflections about the future. A common feature in her pieces is the constant appearance of hybrid characters, transformations of humans into animals, or animals into other animals, which speaks about the multiple forms of intelligence on the planet and the spiritual forces that coexist with us daily.