Shuvinai Ashoona
Shuvinai Ashoona (b. 1961, Ksagginngait, NU)
Inuit artist Shuvinai Ashoona began drawing in 1996, working in pen, ink, colored pencils, and oil sticks. Her work, inspired by life in Cape Dorset, first appeared in the 1997 Cape Dorset annual print collection. Since then, she has become a prolific artist at Kinngait Studios, exhibiting nationally and internationally, including the McMichael Canadian Collection, Venice Biennale, and SITE Santa Fe. Awards include the Gershon Iskowitz Prize (2019) and the Governor General’s Artistic Achievement Award (2024).
Selected Exhibitions
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2023–2018: Cape Dorset Graphics, Dorset Fine Arts, Toronto; Marion Scott Gallery, Vancouver; McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg
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2018–2010: National and international shows including SITE Santa Fe, Pierre-François Ouellette Art Contemporain (Montreal), Banff Art Gallery, Alaska on Madison (NY), Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), La Centrale Galerie Powerhouse (Montreal/Toronto), and the Biennale of Sydney
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2009–2000: Notable exhibitions at Feheley Fine Arts (Toronto), Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton), and McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Shuvinai’s work is recognized for blending contemporary vision with traditional Inuit culture, often exploring the fantastical, surreal, and human-nature relationship.
