Lot 38
ANNIE NIVIAXIE (1930-)
Additional Images
Literature:
Crafts from Arctic Canada, exhibition catalogue, 1974, Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, p. 4 and 62
Note:
Traditionally serving as a form of insulation, tapestries have a long history of being both utilitarian and decorative. Fashioning warm garments with needle and thread to protect the Inuit from the climate of the far north was something that was vital to their survival. Charles Miles stated in his History of Indian and Eskimo Artifacts of North America, “The sum specimens from the Arctic rival the best European work in quality”.
However, with outside influences and an easier way of life, stitching skin is no longer essential to their life. Instead, these old techniques are revived and used as a unique form of individual expression. The artistry is kept alive with the desire to create rather than as a means of survival.