Irene Avaalaaqiaq: Myth and Reality

Kerry Abel is a professor of history at Carleton University. She is the author of Drum Songs: Glimpses of Dene History, co-editor of Aboriginal Resource Use in Canada: Historical and Legal Aspects, and co-editor of Northern Visions: New Perspectives on the North in Canadian History.

This attractive little book is an interesting and appealing experiment.
The author presents the life and work of Baker Lake artist Avaalaaqiaq,
who is perhaps best known for her wall hangings although she has also
worked in other media. But to call the book a biography and catalogue
would be to do it a disservice, because it is much more. Visually, it is
a treat, with 28 colour reproductions of the artist’s work and an
interesting collection of photographs. It is also thought-provoking in
its presentation of historical, ethnographic, and artistic
interpretation.

The main text of the book is a narrative of the artist’s life, much
of it in her own words, set in the context of ethnographic detail drawn
from the Fifth Thule Expedition report of the early 1920s.
Avaalaaqiaq’s life has encompassed enormous change, from a childhood
on the land, through the devastating hard times of the 1950s and the
arrival of the welfare state, to settled town life. Nasby has neatly
interwoven details of that life with interpretations of the artwork.
Three appendixes provide more information about the works reproduced
here, a list of the artist’s exhibitions and awards, and the
transcript of a charming convocation address delivered by the artist
when she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Guelph.

The book strikes an effective balance between the personal and the
general, and between an aesthetic appreciation of the art and
recognition of its economic importance. Above all, Nasby (a scholar) has
allowed the artist’s voice to ring through clearly, providing her own
interpretation of the work instead of the conventional critical analysis
developed by art historians.

For anyone who has admired the imagery of Avaalaaqiaq’s work (or of
Inuit art in general) but would appreciate some assistance in
interpreting the meaning of the fascinating transformations and
patterns, this book will be most valuable. It also stands as a model to
scholars who are looking for an alternative to the traditional
exhibition catalogue or retrospective.