Contemporary Canadian Inuit Drawings / Chinese Drawings from Huxian, Jinshan and Qijiang

October 11, 2008 to January 4, 2009

Although they are worlds apart, Chinese artists from Huxian, Jinshan, and Qijiang and Canadian artists from Baker Lake and Cape Dorset share a common bond; their art depicts their concerns about nature, spirituality, and their ever-changing social environments.

A cross-cultural exhibition of Contemporary Canadian Inuit Drawings / Chinese Drawings from Huxian, Jinshan and Qijiang, organized by the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre (MSAC) in Guelph and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (SFAI) in Chongqing, China, is an exceptional exploration of social culturology as expressed by Chinese and Canadian Inuit artists who are trying to retain traditional values in the midst of rapid societal change. The exhibition is co-curated by Judith Nasby, director and curator of the MSAC, and Feng Bin, director of the Chongqing Art Museum.

As Judith Nasby explains in her exhibition catalogue essay, “Inuit and Chinese artists share a commitment to reveal in their art aspects of their own lives, ancient stories, and a regard for the importance of the land and animals.”

After touring throughout China, the exhibition, a collection of thirty-two colourful Chinese drawings and eighteen Canadian Inuit drawings makes its first North American appearance at the McMichael on October 11, 2008.

Annie Pootoogook, (b. 1969)
Interior and Exterior, 2003
etching and aquatint on paper
Purchased with funds raised by the Art Centre Volunteers and with financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program, 2003
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection

Gu Beili (Jinshan County, Shanghai)
Pig King, not dated
gouache on paper
Purchased with funds raised by the Art Centre Volunteers and with support from the Elizabeth L. Gordon Art Programme of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, 2007
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre Collection