Description
Katherine Takpannie is an Inuk photographer originally from Iqaluit, Nunavut. Takpannie grew up in foster care and spent the majority of her adolescence as a street involved youth in Ottawa. She utilized photography as a way to cope with her situation and engage with her changing immediate environments. As a self-taught emerging photographer, Takpannie continuously works on advancing her artistic practice. She spends her weekends scouting and traveling to different neighbourhoods within the Ottawa area to find specific locations for her work. Focusing on photography allows her to document her friends and the world around her. Themes of religion and sexuality find their way into Takpannie’s work, influenced by the many religious foster caregivers throughout her life. There is a long history of Qallunaat (non-Inuk) photographers taking photographs representing Inuit. Takpannie is focused on studying her Inuk history, culture, and language. As an emerging artist, photography allows her to re-think the lessons that have been taught to her. This knowledge is utilized to tell stories through her camera. Takpannie’s photographic practice aims to highlight the modernized Inuit. To her, photography is the best medium to reclaim her identity and explore her experiences as an urban Inuk. Having lived most of her life in Ottawa, her work speaks to the Ottawa that she sees.