Ovilu (Oviloo) Tunnillie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 20, 1949 Kangia, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut) |
| Died | June 12, 2014 (aged 64) |
| Nationality | Canadian (Inuit) |
| Occupation | Artist/Sculptor |
| Years active | 1972–2012[1] |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Mary Qayuaryuk (1908–1982) (maternal grandmother) |
Ovilu (Oviloo) Tunnillie RCA (December 20, 1949 – June 12, 2014) was born at Kangia, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut)[1][2] and was an Inuit sculptor. Her carvings served as her commentary on both traditional and changing contemporary Inuit culture. She was one of the first Inuit artists to work with an autobiographical theme.[3]
At a young age, Oviloo's family was disrupted by the government's forced removal of tuberculosis patients to sanitariums in southern Canada.[1] She was taken to Clearwater Lake Indian Hospital in Manitoba, where she spent two year-long stays.[1] The experience of dehumanization and alienation by white officials remained a major theme in her art.[1]
Tunnillie came from a noted artistic family. Her parents, Sheojuke Toonoo (1928–2012) and Toonoo (1920–1969) were noted artists and her grandmother, Mary Qayuaryuk (1908–1982), (also known as Kudjuakjuk) was also a sculptor, who inspired her to become a sculptor.[1][4][5] However as an eldest daughter, Ovilu's interest in sculpture was unaligned with typical social roles, and she often faced pressure from family to abandon her practice at a young age.[1]
- ^ a b c d e f g Wight, Darlene Coward, Oviloo Tunnillie: Life & Work - Biography, Art Canada Institute, retrieved June 9, 2019
- ^ Leyden Cochrane, Steven (September 8, 2016). "'I carve about my life' - A career-spanning survey tells a groundbreaking female sculptor's 'story in stone'". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ Wight, Darlene Coward (2012). Creation and Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-926812-89-2.
- ^ Zepp, Norman (June 23, 2015) [2006]. "Ovilu Tunnillie". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
- ^ Leroux, Odette; Jackson, Marion E.; Freeman, Minnie Aodla (1994). Inuit women artists: voices frrm Cape Dorset. 1615 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre. p. 222. ISBN 0-295-97389-7.
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