Background
Pootoogook was born on May 11, 1969 in Cape Dorset to a family of artists. Her mother, Napatchie Pootoogook, was a graphic artist and her father, Eegyvudluk Pootoogook, was a printmaker and carver. She is the granddaughter of renowned artist Pitseolak Ashoona, the niece of printmaker Kananginak Pootoogook and the cousin of drawer Shuvinai Ashoona.
Her influences include her mother, Napatchie Pootoogook (died 2002), and her grandmother, Pitseolak Ashoona (died 1983), both of whom were accomplished artists.
Career
Pootoogook began her art career drawing in pen and coloured pencils at the age of 28 for the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative (now known as the Kinngait Studios) in Cape Dorset. She has brought a new artistic viewpoint to contemporary Inuit art, in contrast to the more traditional treatments. Her work depicts contemporary experiences of a woman and an artist living in the Canadian North.
"Annie Pootoogook"s work reflects both the current moment of a specific tradition and of a contemporary drawing practice," the curators and jury for the award said in a press release.
She also had a major solo exhibition in 2006 at The Power Plant in Toronto. Annie Pootinook had her first solo exhibition in a public institution in 2006 at The Power Plant.
The exhibit, curated by Nancy Campbell, focused on mythology, community and the difficulties of life in the Arctic. She exhibited at the 2007 Biennale de Montréal and in the same year she had works at both the Basel Art Fair and Documenta 12.
Pootoogook was the first Inuit artist to participate in Documenta, held in Kassel, Germany.
This combination was a first for an Inuit artist. In 2009 through 2010, the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heyes Center in New York gave her a solo exhibit. Most recently her work was part of the first major exhibition of Canadian contemporary art outside of Canada entitled Oh, Canada.
