“Because I am not very old, I don’t usually draw the old ways but in my mind I would like to. Because I am not very old I don’t really remember. I was born on the ship, the Nascopie, when my parents were travelling around Baffin Island. I don’t remember much about those early years but I have one memory of being taken by canoe from the ship to the land by a white man.”

 Kakulu:  Cape Dorset Print Catalogue, 1978.

Kakulu was born in 1940 on the Hudson’s Bay Company’s supply ship, “Nascopie” en route from Clyde River to Pangnirtung. At that time, her parents and older brother were members of a small group of Inuit who travelled from south Baffin Island to trap and hunt furs in the northern regions of the Island.

Kakulu began to draw in the early 1960’s when the newly established co-operative introduced its graphic arts project. Her style has evolved considerably over the years. She is represented in this year’s (2000), collection with two prints – “Vision Quest” (2000-2) and “Myth of Creation” (2000-3). Both of these illustrating her playful and yet sophisticated sense of imagery.

Kakulu’s mother was Ikayukta, a well-known graphic artist (now deceased). Her older brother was Qavaroak Tunnillie, a well-known and prolific sculptor (now deceased). She is married to Saggiaktok, who for many years was a printmaker in the stonecut studio. He would frequently proof and edit those images by Kakulu which had been chosen for stonecut prints. They live in Cape Dorset with their four children. She continues to develop her own unique style of expression, and participates in workshops offered by the Kinngait Studios. She is represented in 2001 print collection by an etching and aquatint entitled, “Hot Pot” (2001-2002), which she conceived direly onto the etching plate during one of the Co-operative’s continuing series of workshops in association with Studio PM of Montreal.*

 *West Baffin Eskimo Co-op, 2000-2001.

COLLECTIONS:

Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
McMaster University Art Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Simon Fraser Gallery, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

 

Copyrights: DFA