We are excited to present the exclusive release of
Navvaatarti (Collector)
by Ningiukulu Teevee of Kinngait (Cape Dorset)
Edition of 50, etching and aquatint
24" x 24" Paper Size
$1,500.00 CDN
(approximately $1,150.00 USD)
Ningiukulu Teevee’s luminous etching and aquatint, Navvaatarti (Collector), humorously reflects on Raven’s well-known habit of collecting shiny objects. The image depicts Raven carrying an ulu through a hole in the blade itself, an impractical solution that speaks to Raven’s impulsiveness and intense curiosity.
The work plays with Raven’s fascination with human-made objects, particularly those shaped with care and purpose. The polished ulu blade becomes both a functional tool and an object of visual fascination, blending traditional Inuit imagery with Raven's playful and unpredictable personality.
At the same time, Teevee’s print reflects on broader ideas of collecting and attachment to meaningful objects. Raven is drawn to shiny and unusual things, but we as humans are collectors as well: gathering objects, stories, and memories that carry personal and cultural meaning over time. In this sense, Navvaatarti (Collector) gently blurs the line between Raven’s collecting and our own, leaving it unclear who the true collector really is.
Available only at the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Ltd.
Ningiukulu Teevee
“Ningiukulu is one of the most versatile and intelligent graphic artists to emerge from the Kinngait Studios. Born May 27, 1963, Ningiukulu is the daughter of Joanasie Salomonie (deceased) and his wife Kanajuk. Her father, Joanasie, was a community leader and much loved in Cape Dorset for his sense of humour, mischief and compassion. In the fall of 2009, Ningiukulu’s first children’s book was published by Groundwood Books (A Division of House of Anansi Press). Entitled Alego, it is an autobiographical story of a young girl named Alego who goes clamdigging with her grandmother for the first time and, along the way, discovers all of the wonders of the seashore. The book was short-listed for the Governor General’s Literary Award for children’s illustration.
Since her first prints appeared in the collection in 2004, Ningiukulu has been one of Kinngait’s studio’s most celebrated artists. She has a comprehensive knowledge of Inuit legends and a fine sense of design and composition. These elements that have made many of her prints highly sought after by collectors. Ningiukulu has had numerous solo shows of her bold and resplendent drawings and some of her work has been featured in exhibitions in major public galleries and museums.”
- Excerpted from Dorset Fine Arts