Anirnik Oshuitoq
(1902–)
(–1983)
Anirnik Oshuitoq
1902–1983
Anirnik Oshuitoq, ᐊᓂᓂ, (1902–1983) was a graphic artist born on a whaling vessel near Kimmirut (Lake Harbour), Nunavut. After growing up on the vessel with her family, Anirnik moved to Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut, in the early 1960s. At this time, she began drawing and participated in the early years of printmaking at the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative (now Kinngait Studios). Her prints were regularly included in the Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection from 1961 to 1974. Anirnik’s daughter Ningeeuga Oshuitoq was also an artist.
Anirnik’s drawings feature dynamic and playful compositions that are characterized by their ability to blend Inuit spirituality with images from settler culture. Her prints and drawings have been exhibited across Canada and abroad, including in exhibitions such as Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1983. Her work can be found in the permanent collection at the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Glenbow Museum, Calgary, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.