Nineeuga Oshuitoq
(1914–)
(–1980)
Nineeuga Oshuitoq
1914–1980
Nineeuga Oshuitoq (1918–1980) was a graphic artist and sculptor born in Amadjuak Camp on Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island), Nunavut. The daughter of graphic artist Anirnik Oshuitoq, Nineeuga moved with her family in 1960 to Kinngait (Cape Dorset). Her prints were featured regularly in the Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection between 1966 and 1980.
After spending five years in the south recovering from tuberculosis, Nineeuga returned to Kinngait in 1965 and dedicated herself to drawing full-time. Influenced by her mother’s work, Nineeuga’s drawings feature the same characteristic style of simple, profile forms. Her drawings also employ intricate design elements, such as interlocking patterns, numerous dots, and bright colours, to create dynamic compositions that catch the viewers eye and create a strong sense of movement. Taking inspiration from her imagination and her early life living on the land, the subjects of Nineeuga’s drawings are typically Inuit women, children, and spirits.
Her prints and drawings have been exhibited across Canada, the United States, and Europe, including The Inuit Print/L’estampe inuit, a traveling exhibition that toured from 1977 to 1982 and was developed by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and the Canadian Museum of History. Nineeuga’s work can also be found in permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, among others.