Kananginak Pootoogook

Kananginak Pootoogook (1935-2010)

Cultural Background: Inuit

Kananginak Pootoogook, sculptor, designer, draftsman, print maker (born in Ikerrasak camp, south Baffin Island, Nunavut, 1935). Son of the great camp leader, Pootoogook, he came to Cape Dorset in 1958 when James Houston brought printmaking to the North. He became one of the four original printers. Kananginak worked in all media including silk-screen printing of textiles. However, he excelled as an engraver and lithographer, particularly of wildlife art which he had mastered completely while retaining a personal style with definite abstract qualities.

Kananginak was also a prominent and involved community leader. He was instrumental in the formation of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative and served for many years as President of its Board of Directors. He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy. Kananginak lived in Cape Dorset with his wife, Shooyoo and their family until his death in 2010.