Annie Pootoogook (Inuktitut: ᐊᓂ ᐳᑐᒍ, May 11, 1969 – September 19, 2016) was a Canadian Inuk artist known for her pen and coloured pencil drawings.
[1] In her art, Pootoogook often portrayed the experiences of those in her community of Kinngait (then known in English as Cape Dorset), in northern Canada, and memories and events from her own life.
She developed her skills working alongside family members and Elders at the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in Cape Dorset, Nunavut.
[3] In her early career she was often told by the Co-op studio managers that her works about contemporary Inuit life, commenting on consumerism and southern influences in the north, would not sell because they went against the prevailing themes that the Co-op deemed to be of interest to the southern art market – namely, images from Inuit mythology or scenes from nature.
During this time, she drew intimate home interior scenes depicting alcoholism, violence, and domestic abuse, the everyday experiences of a woman living in the Canadian north, the hardships faced by northern communities, and the impact of technology on traditional Inuit life.
[2] Although she returned to Kinngait for a few months, she soon moved south again, this time to the nation's capital, Ottawa, in hopes of more success.
Her work primarily focused on three subject types: the everyday experiences of women living in the Canadian north, the hardships faced by northern communities and the impact of technology on traditional Inuit life.
Pootoogook's compositions utilize minimal line drawings with figures posed in frontal or profile views.
[citation needed] Pootoogook's compositions are not reproducible which acts against traditional printmaking practices of Inuit art in which copies are made to be sold and dispersed.
Traditionally, Inuit art often shows typical activities of northern communities such as hunting, fishing, and spiritual gatherings.
[4] Pootoogook had her first major solo exhibition in 2006 when her work was displayed as part of a well-received show at The Power Plant in Toronto, Ontario.
[10] The Sobey Award is granted to an artist who is 39 years of age or younger and has shown their work in a public or commercial gallery in Canada in the past 18 months, at the time of their application.
The press release announcing Pootoogook's win noted that "her work reflects both the current moment of a specific tradition and of a contemporary drawing practice.
Curated by Denise Markonish, the exhibition titled Oh, Canada, showcased 62 Canadian artists including the work of Pootoogook's cousin Shuvinai Ashoona.
[15] Annie Pootoogook drowned in the Rideau River in Ottawa on September 19, 2016, in what police declared as a suspicious death.
[8] In November 2016, Hrnchiar pleaded guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act, and for making comments on an open investigation.