Victoria Mamnguqsualuk

Victoria Mamnguqsualuk
ᕕᐃᑎᕋᐊ ᒪᒍᓯᐊᓗ
Born	1930
Died	2016 (aged 85–86) Baker Lake
Spouse	Samson Kayuryuk
Children	Thomas Kabloona Simon Kayuryuk Paul Aglakuaq Kayuryuk Kate Kayuryuk Mercy Kayuryuk Moses Kayuryuk Delores Kayuryuk Zachary Kayuryuk Shawnee Kayuryuk
Mother	Jessie Oonark
Relatives	Janet Kigusiuq Nancy Pukingrnak Aupaluktuq Peggy Qablunaaq Aittauq Mary Yuusipik Singaqti Josiah Nuilaalik Miriam Marealik Qiyuk William Noah

Victoria Mamnguqsualuk (sometimes Mamnguksualuk) (Inuktitut syllabics: ᕕᐃᑎᕋᐊ ᒪᒍᓯᐊᓗ) (1930-2016) was one of the best-known Canadian Inuit artists of her generation.

Early life

Born near Garry Lake, Mamnguqsualuk passed a nomadic youth until her thirties, when in 1963, to avoid starvation, her family moved to Baker Lake. Mamnguqsualuk is one of noted Inuit artist Jessie Oonark's eight artistically gifted children;[1] among her siblings are the artists Nancy Pukingrnak, Josiah Nuilaalik, Janet Kigusiuq, Mary Yuusipik Singaqti, Miriam Nanurluk, and William Noah.[2] Her husband, Samson Kayuryuk, and son, Paul Aglakuaq Kayuryuk, are also artists.[3] Her granddaughter Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona is also an artist.[4]

Work

She is best known for her silkscreen and stencil, prints, but has worked in sculpture, drawings, and fabrics as well. Mamnguqsualuk's bold depictions of Inuit myth have been widely praised.[5] Like her mother, she moves easily between the realms of graphic arts and textiles.[5] Eight of her prints were part of the first print edition from Baker Lake, in 1970, and her pieces have appeared in many collections since then. Her work is informed by some of the stylistic tropes of European art. In her painting Shaman Caribou, Mamnguqsualuk has created a complex composition that illustrates many aspects of the Inuit Shaman's world.[6]

Collections

Mamnguqsualuk's work is in the collections of:

• the Winnipeg Art Gallery,[7]
• the Canadian Museum of Civilization,
• the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre,
• the McMichael Collection,
• the National Gallery of Canada,[8] and
• the Glenbow Museum.

References

1. Berlo, Janet Catherine (1989). "Inuit Women and Graphic Arts: Female Creativity and its Cultural Context" (PDF). The Canadian Journal of Native Studies. IX, 2: 293–315.
2. Jules Heller; Nancy G. Heller (19 December 2013). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-63882-5.
3. "Victoria Mamnguqsualuk (1930-2016), Inuit artist biography and portfolio". Archived from the original on Mar 27, 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
4. Kabloona, Gayle Uyagaqi (Oct 20, 2021). "How I Choose to Carry on My Family's Artistic Legacy". Inuit Art Quarterly. Archived from the original on Jul 5, 2022.
5. Moore, Charles (1986). Keeveeok Awake! Mamnguqsualuk and the Rebirth of Legend at Baker Lake. Edmonton, Alberta: Occasional Publications Series. ISBN 978-0919058347.
6. Broder, Patricia Janis (1999). Earth Songs Moon Dreams. New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0312205348.
7. "Art Search - Winnipeg Art Gallery". www.wag.ca.
8. "Victoria Mamnguqsualuk". www.gallery.ca.