Kingmeata Etidlooie

Kingmeata Etidlooie (1915 – 1989) was a graphic artist and sculptor from Kimmirut (Kimmirut), NU. Though only beginning to draw and carve after the death of her first husband, Etidlooie further developed her artistic practice after settling in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU, in the mid-1960s. Along with her second husband, Etidlooie Etidlooie (1910 – 1981), she joined the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative and went on to produce many unique, graphic works – from prints to drawings and paintings [1].

Etidlooie worked in a variety of mediums, including watercolour, acrylic paint and coloured pencil to create scenes that were rich in texture. Along with fellow artist, Pudlo Pudlat (1916 – 1992), she was one of the first users of the Co-op’s painting studio that was established in 1976 [2]. Characterized by a strong sense of order and structure, her work concentrated on formal compositions, rather than narrative ones, often introducing stylized shapes in to rich and saturated colour fields. Exemplary of such a style, Etidlooie’s piece, Untitled (1980-81), boasts a vibrant purple background with figures placed neatly amid the confines of a dark and defined landscape.

Etidlooie's work has traveled across North America, and has been featured in a number of exhibitions in Asia and Europe. Her prints, drawings and paintings are housed in numerous national collections, including the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC, the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba, and the Canada Council Art Bank in Ottawa, ON, among others.

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Accomplishments:
1970-1988: Prints included in the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection.