Brian Adams and Annie Pootoogook
Moments of Respite
Winter and Spring 2022
Bates and Birks buildings
Window spaces at Sparks and Metcalfe
101-111 Sparks Street, Ottawa
Anchored in contemporary reality, Moments of Respite shares histories and insights into Inuit identity from East to West. The work by Brian Adams and Annie Pootoogook captures the community's continuance and the richness of their cultural practices.
ᓄᖅᑲᖓᓐᓇᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᕙᖕᓂᐊᖅᑐ (Inuktitut)
(left to right) Brian Adams,
Marie Rexford, Kaktovik, Alaska (detail), 2015, medium format film, courtesy of the artist
Annie Pootoogook,
A Friend Visits (detail), 2008, lithograph on paper, City of Ottawa Art Collection, 2018-0001, photo: David Barbour
(left to right) Brian Adams,
Sylvester Swan Jr., Kivalina, Alaska (detail), 2007, medium format film, courtesy of the artist
Annie Pootoogook,
Composition (Jigging for Fish) (detail), 2006, coloured pencil and ink on paper, Collection of the Ottawa Art Gallery: purchased with the support of OAG Acquisition Endowment Fund, 2018, photo: Justin Wonnacott
Biographies
Brian Adams (detail), photo: Ash Adams, courtesy of the artist
Brian Adams is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska, who specializes in environmental portraiture. His documentation of Inuit life in Alaska and the circumpolar captures the positive energy of these communities. His work has been featured both nationally and internationally. His first book of photography, I AM ALASKAN, was published in 2013 by University of Alaska Press. His most recent book, I AM INUIT, was published in 2017 by Benteli Publishers. He received a fellowship grant from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and the Rasmuson Foundation in 2018.
Annie Pootoogook (detail), photo: Katherine Knight, courtesy of Site Media Inc.
Annie Pootoogook (1969-2016) was born in Kinngait, formerly known as Cape Dorset, Nunavut and moved to Ottawa as an adult. Moving away from the traditional practices of sculpture and printmaking, she created unique renderings of modern Inuit life through drawing. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and was awarded the Sobey Art Award in 2006. In 2018, Annie Pootoogook: Cutting Ice was published, and an exhibition was organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection to commemorate the life and work of this remarkable artist.
Inuktitut translations provided by UUTTUVAK CONSULTING INCORPORTATED.
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