Alootook Ipellie: Walking Both Sides of an Invisible Border

September 17 - December 9, 2018

This first retrospective of Alootook Ipellie’s work draws from the many aspects of his career, demonstrating the continued relevance of his voice and vision.

Alootook Ipellie (1951-2007) was born at Nuvuqquq on Baffin Island and grew up in Iqaluit before moving to Ottawa as a young man. He started working as a translator, illustrator and reporter for Inuit Monthly (renamed Inuit Today) in the early 1970s, and later was its editor.

Through his widely read poems, articles and essays, Ipellie gave voice to important cultural, political and social issues affecting Inuit Nunangat, with humour and immense patience.

Ipellie was a prodigious artist, creating hundreds of political cartoons, serial comic strips including “Ice Box” and “Nuna and Vut,” and larger drawings, of which those published in his book Arctic Dreams and Nightmares (1993) are well known.

CUAG acknowledges with gratitude the many lenders whose generosity has made Walking Both Sides of an Invisible Border possible. The organizational lenders are: Richard F. Brush Gallery at St. Lawrence University, Canada Council Art Bank, Cape Breton University Art Gallery, the Government of Saskatchewan, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Nortext Publishing Corporation and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.

The individual lenders are: Annalise and Kurt Biedermann, Ernie and Sandy Bies, Victoria Freeman, Charles R. J. Gardner, E. Gedalof and S. Davies, C. Hunt and R. Goldsworth, Lynn Jamieson and the late Geoffrey S. Lester, Marjorie and Michael P.J. Kennedy, Joyce MacPhee, Fred and Gardiea Maiczan, Senator Dennis Patterson, and Kirk Reid, as well as others who wish to remain anonymous.

Curated by

Sandra Dyck, Heather Igloliorte, Christine Lalonde

Artists in the exhibition

Alootook Ipellie

Credits

The exhibition tour is supported by an Arts Across Canada / Circulation and Touring grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Images

This is a touring exhibition

Gallery 1C03, University of Winnipeg

27 February – 13 March 2020

Art Gallery of Hamilton

28 September 2019 – 5 January 2020

Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, Iqaluit

13 April – 15 June 2019

Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York

16 January – 23 February 2019