Learn more about Qavavau Manumie

 

Where did Qavavau Manumie learn to draw?

Manumie lived in Cape Dorset for most of his life. Renowned for its arts community, he learned from numerous Dorset-based artists and mentors.

He also worked with Kinngait Studios, the first stone lithography and stonecut print studio in the community. Here he refined his skills in printmaking to become a master printmaker.

 

What medium does Manumie use in his work?

Manumie is known for his pencil crayon and ink drawings. He is also a master printmaker, specializing in stone lithography and stonecut.

 

What are some of the themes that Manumie depicts in his work?

He is known for idiosyncratic depictions of sociopolitical issues that affect Inuit, climate change, Inuit culture, Nunavut’s landscape, and modern depictions of Inuit lifestyle. However, his work is rarely cut and dry. Within it, he adds whimsical, and at times, humorous images to illustrate his subject matter.

Manumie is a master in bringing together traditional and contemporary elements. He obscurely interweaves environmental, social, and cultural quandaries into his work in a way that plays up the fantastical elements of the Arctic ecosystem and the modern lifestyles of the Inuit. Climate change is a recurring subject across this work. He never directly addresses it but prefers to subtly guide the viewer to draw that conclusion.

 

How would you describe Manumie’s work?

He is known for idiosyncratic depictions of sociopolitical issues that affect Inuit, climate change, Inuit culture, Nunavut’s landscape, and modern depictions of Inuit lifestyle. However, his work is rarely cut and dry. Within it, he adds whimsical, and at times, humorous images to illustrate his subject matter.

Manumie is a master in bringing together traditional and contemporary elements. He obscurely interweaves environmental, social, and cultural quandaries into his work in a way that plays up the fantastical elements of the Arctic ecosystem and the modern lifestyles of the Inuit. Climate change is a recurring subject across this work. He never directly addresses it but prefers to subtly guide the viewer to draw that conclusion.

 

What are the little people in his drawings?

People have asked this question more times than we can count! In 2008, Nunatsiaq News finally solved that mystery:

“Little people, or Inuralaat, take up a big place in his art. They’re not much bigger than a snow bunting, but strong enough to haul a walrus. As a child, Mannomee’s father would warn that if you saw their tracks to stay away, or else they may shoot you with a bow and arrow or poison blow dart.

But, in Mannomee’s art, Inuralaat are more playful than menacing.”

• John Thompson, Nunatsiaq News (2008)

The Inuralaat in Manumie’s work are always drawn in relation to space and object. In both cases, the Inuralaat are depicted alongside larger, more expansive objects and spaces (Inuit Art Quarterly, 2017).

A Fantastical Climate: Qavavau Manumie

A Fantastical Climate: Qavavau Manumie is a series of selected works that illustrate the fantastical elements of the Arctic ecosystem as interpreted by Manumie, while subtly referencing the effects of climate change on animals and humans.

All images courtesy of Dorset Fine Arts.