Tanya Tagaq visited Victoria in 2024
Performing Sept 18 at the Farquhar Auditorium
with the Victoria Symphony and Emily Carr String Quartet.
Performing Sept 18 at the Farquhar Auditorium
with the Victoria Symphony and Emily Carr String Quartet.
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Tanya Tagaq’s debut novel Split Tooth was published in 2018. The fictional memoir conjures up her teenage years in Cambridge Bay. Her first children’s book It Bears Repeating will be published on Aug 20, 2024. “I love children’s books and children themselves,” she says, “I wanted to write this book because learning to count is such a sweet time in a child's life.” There are plans to release a story time video with Tundra Books featuring the correct pronunciations of Inuktitut words. |
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Guests at the Farquhar Auditorium are in for a special experience on September 18. Tanya Tagaq, Inuk throat-singer, composer, actor, author and activist, opens the venue’s fall season. Tagaq performs qiqsaaqtuq, with the Victoria Symphony, and sivunitinni, accompanied by Emily Carr String Quartet. Tagaq’s musical performances are extraordinary offerings of soundscapes. She explains: I hear sound in three-dimensional textures so sound is music to me. One thing that is often overlooked in my work is the technical abilities that produce the music and compositions. “Perhaps this is because I am improvising and the music doesn’t fit into a nice classical box.” Tagaq acknowledges the intensity and darkness of the music, which is fuelled by personal experiences and concerns about her Inuit culture, present and future.
Tanya Tagaq grew up in the high arctic community of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Now a city dweller, Tagaq returns each summer to spend time with family and friends. Under the midnight sun, she celebrates the beauty of the land, sea and sky. Both musical offerings at the Farquhar address cultural issues in arctic communities. Tagaq is painfully aware of the statistics around murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls in Canada. This tragic situation galvanized her commitment to make Qiqsaaqtuq. Translated as grief, Qiqsaaqtuq follows the five stages of grief proposed by Kubler Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The audience can expect to experience an emotional journey.
Sivunitinni, (the future ones) is performed with the Emily Carr String Quartet. This piece was originally co-produced with the Kronos Quartet, who translated her vocal score into musical notes and expressions. Tagaq explains that Sivunitinni contains a poetic message about the land for future generations of musicians. “I am paying homage to those who came before, and those who will follow,” she says. Hopefully, the “the future ones” will find balance by connecting to the natural world and all living things.
Detail: Napachie Pootoogook, “My Daughter’s First Steps”.
Below: Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset
I started to see how women think, how they have an artistic way of forming things, like carvings, sewing and female art.
I realized that women can do a lot. They have been capable for a long time but it is just now that their capabilities are coming out in the open. Oopik Pitsiulak, 1991
I started to see how women think, how they have an artistic way of forming things, like carvings, sewing and female art.
I realized that women can do a lot. They have been capable for a long time but it is just now that their capabilities are coming out in the open. Oopik Pitsiulak, 1991
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Multi-talented, Tanya Tagaq is a visual artist who attended the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design. Her paintings hang in public spaces in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut and are featured in promotional publications. The following images are from “Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset”, Canadian Museum of Civilization”, 1995. The quotes from the artists help explain the context and inspiration for the artworks displayed. Areas of interest covered in the images include: entertainment and celebrations, the role of women and changes in society, and connecting with the environment. |
Napachie Pootoogook, “My New Accordion”, lithograph, 45x32 in, 1989.
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ENTERTAINMENT AND CELEBRATIONS
Lucy Qinnuayuak, "Two Women Playing", feltpen, crayon, acrylic, 20x26 in, 1977.
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Lucy Qinnuayuak, “Dancers and Gramophone”, feltpen on paper, 18x24 in, 1972.
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Napachie Pootoogook, “Spring Dance”, stonecut and stencil, 20x28 in, 1979.
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Pitseolak Ashoona, “Women Juggling Stones”, stonecut, 12x17 in, 1968.
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ROLE OF WOMEN AND CHANGES IN SOCIETY
Ovilu Tunnillie, “Woman on High Heels”, green stone, 26x8x6 in, 1987.
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Ovilu Tunnillie, “Woman Passed Out”, green stone, 19x11x10 in, 1987.
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Ovilu Tunnillie, Woman on High Heels,
“I was in Montreal in the 1970’s and saw nude women with high heels dancing on TV. I like the end result of this sculpture.”
“I was in Montreal in the 1970’s and saw nude women with high heels dancing on TV. I like the end result of this sculpture.”
Ovilu Tunnillie, Woman Passed Out,
“The liquor was brought up from white people, not from Inuit. This is a drunken person that tempted the others to drink more.”
“The liquor was brought up from white people, not from Inuit. This is a drunken person that tempted the others to drink more.”
Qaunak Mikkigak, “The Real Woman”, dark green stone, 18x9x7 in, 1990.
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Oopik Pitsiulak, “Oopik Fetching Water”, green stone, glass beads, wool, sealhide and fur, 25x8x10 in, 1990.
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Qaunak Mikkigak, The Real Woman,
"This is a seal oil lamp and when our parents lived in igloos they gave warmth and helped with cooking."
"This is a seal oil lamp and when our parents lived in igloos they gave warmth and helped with cooking."
Oopik Pitsiulak, Oopik Fetching Water,
"Although I was carrying a baby on my back, I still have to fetch water."
"Although I was carrying a baby on my back, I still have to fetch water."
Pitaloosie Saila, “Changing Traditions”, lithograph, 23x26 in, 1991.
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Pitaloosie Saila, “Inuit Leader”, stonecut, 28x34 in, 1989.
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Pitaloosie Saila, Changing Traditions,
"The meaning is three generations: my great grandmother, my grandmother and my mother. I saw some pictures from that time that showed sealskin clothing and long skirts, like in a fashion show."
"The meaning is three generations: my great grandmother, my grandmother and my mother. I saw some pictures from that time that showed sealskin clothing and long skirts, like in a fashion show."
Pitaloosie Saila, Inuit Leader,
"Back then, some women were thought of as leaders by men. When the women did things that were important for people, then they would be tattooed. Its not only men who are powerful, there are also some powerful women."
"Back then, some women were thought of as leaders by men. When the women did things that were important for people, then they would be tattooed. Its not only men who are powerful, there are also some powerful women."
Napachie Pootoogook, “My Daughter’s First Steps”, lithograph, 22x34 in, 1990.
Napachie Pootoogook, My Daughter’s First Steps,
"The woman is holding her child to teach her how to walk, really caring for and loving her child. We used to wash our clothes right in the lake, so that is why the clothes are scattered around in the drawing."
"The woman is holding her child to teach her how to walk, really caring for and loving her child. We used to wash our clothes right in the lake, so that is why the clothes are scattered around in the drawing."
CONNECTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
Pitseolak Ashoona, “Our Camp”, stonecut, 34x25 in, 1974.
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Pitseolak Ashoona, “To Rescue a Drowning Hunter”, lithograph, 26x20 in, 1983.
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Pitseolak Ashoona, Our Camp,
“These people are sleeping in a partially pitched tent because they've been busy hunting and catching fish.”
“These people are sleeping in a partially pitched tent because they've been busy hunting and catching fish.”
Kenojuak Ashevak, “The World Around Me”, lithograph, 22x32 in, 1980.
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Napachie Pootoogook, “Carried of By a Bird”, stonecut, 20x24 in, 1980.
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Kenojuak Ashevak, The World Around Me,
“I really enjoy fishing, so I put them in. This is an Inuit style hat from back then. I made the bird’s tails more attractive.”
“I really enjoy fishing, so I put them in. This is an Inuit style hat from back then. I made the bird’s tails more attractive.”
Napachie Pootoogook, Carried of By a Bird, "I made it out of my imagination.”
Ovilu Tunnillie, “Seaman, Seawoman and Fish”, green stone, 5x20x3 in, 1981
Ovilu Tunnillie, Seaman, Seawoman and Fish,
“This is a sea goddess. They are marine beings and so are fish. I used to make lots of mermaids and I wondered: “Do they have a life style like the Inuit?”
“This is a sea goddess. They are marine beings and so are fish. I used to make lots of mermaids and I wondered: “Do they have a life style like the Inuit?”
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Web Design and Content by Kate Cino Arts writer published in Focus on Victoria, Yam and Boulevard. History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria This website and its content is copyright of Art Openings, 2009. All rights reserved. Written permission is required for reproduction of photos or text. [email protected] 250 598-4009 |