INUA

Qaumajuq, the Inuit art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo by Lindsay Reid

Qilak, Main Inuit Gallery, Qaumajuq, the Inuit art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo by Lindsay Reid.

Glenn Gear, Iluani/Silami (It's full of stars) (2021), shipping container, paint on plywood, sound and video projection. Photo by David Lipnowski.

Elisapee Ishulutaq, Yesterday and Today, 2014, oil stick, graphite on Stonehenge paper. Photo by David Lipnowski.

Qilak, Main Inuit Gallery, Qaumajuq, the Inuit art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo by Lindsay Reid.

Jesse Tungilik, Sealskin Spacesuit (2019), sealskin, sealskin leather, beads. Photo by David Lipnowski.

Lindsay McIntyre, Ajjigiingiluktaaqtugut (We Are All Different) (2020), animation on S16mm to digital video, stereo sound, mixed media. Photo by David Lipnowski.

Mattiusi Iyaituk & Etienne Guay, Iqaluullamiluuq (First Mermaid) that can Maneuver on the Land (side-car) (2016), caribou antler, metal, aluminum, wood, plastic. Photo by David Lipnowski.

Qilak, Main Inuit Gallery, Qaumajuq, the Inuit art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Rankin Inlet Ceramic Artists, Rankin Inlet Ceramics Installation.

Niap Saunders, The Cradled Rhythm (2018), Brazilian steatite, wire, sound recordings. Photo by David Lipnowski.

Visible Vault, Qaumajuq, the Inuit art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo by Lindsay Reid.

INUA

March 25, 2021 - February 12, 2023
Qaumajuq, Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, MA

INUA is the inaugural exhibition of Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. A wide range of groundbreaking work is now on view in the 8,000 sq ft main gallery called Qilak, meaning “sky” in Inuktitut, the largest single gallery space devoted to Inuit art and culture.

INUA has two meanings:

• Spirit or life force in many dialects across the Arctic
• Acronym for Inuit Nunangat Ungammuaktut Atautikkut or ‘Inuit Moving Forward Together,’ reflecting the curators vision for Qaumajuq as a site where Inuit from throughout Inuit Nunangat can, together, collectively gather, share, be inspired by previous generations, and create new pathways forward in Inuit art.

INUA brings together work created by over 90 Inuit artists from across northern Canada, as well as some living in the urban South. The exhibition also features a selection of works by circumpolar Indigenous colleagues and, in some cases, collaborators from areas such as Alaska and Greenland. INUA also celebrates the past work of Inuit artists, who have always embraced the future, drawn from existing collections.

Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership team members were involved throughout the development of Qaumajuq. INUA is curated by an all-Inuit team representing the four regions of Inuit Nunangat, the homeland of Inuit in Canada, led by Heather Igloliorte with Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk Krista Ulujuk Zawadski, Kablusiak, and asinnajaq. INUA is supported by Inuit Futures Mentor Jocelyn Piirainen (Ikaluktutiak/Cambridge Bay), WAG Assistant Curator of Inuit Art; Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk Nicole Luke (Kangiqtiniq/Rankin Inlet & Igluligaarjuk/Chesterfield Inlet), Exhibition Designer, Masters Program, Department of Architecture at the University of Manitoba; and Mark Bennett, Graphic Designer, and Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk Kayla Bruce, Educational Assistant.

In addition, Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuit and Alumni collaborated with the curators of INUA to create Nagvaaqtavut: What We Found, an all Inuit, multi-person and perspective audio guide to accompany Qaumajuq’s inaugural exhibition. Rather than an instructional guide, Nagvaaqtavut: What We Found is a gathering of perspectives and responses inspired by the works in the exhibition. The project’s conception, development and production reflect the vision for INUA, by bringing Inuit from across Inuit Nunangat together collaboratively to share their perspectives and stories, as well as create new pathways forward in Inuit art, inspired by works found in the exhibition.

INUA online