Winnie Tatya
Inuit, Qamani'tuaq (Baker Lake), (b. 1931), untitled wall-hanging, circa 1995, wool duffle, felt, thread and embroidery floss, depicting rows of animals and people engaged in a variety of activities, signed in embroidered syllabics verso.
size approximately 76 x 57 1/4 in
Footnotes:
For a discussion of the evolution of Canadian Inuit textile hangings as an art form, see Hessel, Ingo, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, 2006, Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver, p. 57: 'The scale of Baker Lake wall textiles is usually larger than that of drawings and prints; hangings measuring four by five feet or even five by six feet are fairly common and may take months to produce. Generally speaking, the greater the scale of the hangings, the more complex or structured their compositions become. While some artists prefer a more spontaneous or narrative approach, others create elaborate symmetrical or tiered, repetitive patterns... Sally Qimmiu'naaq Webster operated a wall-hanging shop in her hometown of Baker Lake for a few years. She was working mostly with established artists and tended not to give them much advice or direction.' In discussing a work in the Albrecht collection by Tatya, Webster observed: 'Winnie Tatya's hangings are always finished perfectly... Tatya shows what she has experienced in the past - fishing and hunting. She remembers the times when fish and caribou were plentiful.' Ibid, p. 116