biography Ohito Ashoona
OHITO ASHOONA (OKITUK; OHIKTO; OQUITUK; OQITUK
Date of Birth: December 11, 1952
Place of Birth: Cape Dorset
Mother: Mayoreak Ashoona
Father: Qaqaq Ashoona
Male/Female: Male E7 – 1304
Ohito grew up in an outpost camp not far from Cape Dorset. Here he learned to carve by watching his father, the well-known sculptor Qaqaq Ashoona and his uncle, Kiawak Ashoona, also a renowned artist. Ohito moved to Cape Dorset in 1981.
EXHIBITIONS:
September 1981:
The Year of the Bear The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
March – April 1982:
Songs in Stone
The Arctic Circle
Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
March1988:
Arctic Forms – Inuit Sculpture Arctic Inuit Art Gallery Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
January 1989:
Cold Stones, Warm Hearts: Inuit Art From the NWT
University of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
December 1990 – January 1991:
A Family Tradition: Inuit Art
From Canada’s Arctic
Presented by Arctic Inuit Art at the Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
November – December 1994:
Small Sculptures by Great Artists III Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
May – July 1995:
Tundra & Ice: Exceptional Sculpture from Canada Orca Aart Gallery
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
July 1995:
Sunakutagnuvalautut: Things from the Past Feheley Fine Arts Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March – April 1996:
Major/Minor
Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
March – June 1996:
Tundra & Ice IV
Orca Aart Gallery Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
November 1996:
Small Sculptures by Great Artists V Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
November – December 1996:
New Visions
Spirit Wrestler Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
March – April 1997:
Itinraire Inuit
Recontrer un peuple traverse son art
Held at the Unesco Headquarters
Sponsored by association Inuksuk L’homme debo Paris, France
(catalogue)
November 1998:
Sculpture from the Canadian Arctic Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
January – February 1999:
The Magic of Ohito Ashoona and Mathew Sheviakju From Cape Dorset plus Older Prints from Private Collections: (January 15 to January 29, 1999)
The Albers Gallery of Inuit Art
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
September – October 2002:
Ohito Ashoona and Pootoogook Jaw The Albers Gallery of Inuit Art
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
Spring 2005:
Cape Dorset Sculpture Spirit Wrestler Gallery Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
September – November 2005:
Selections from the Lowell Schoenfeld
And Josephine Mitchell Collection of Inuit Sculpture Carleton University Art Gallery
Ottawa, Ontario
November – December 2006:
Arctic Miniatures
The Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
April – May, 2008:
Arctic Wind – An Expression of Naturalism Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery Vancouver, British Columbia
October, 2011:
Stone and Paper
Cape Dorset 2011 Native Art Gallery Oakville, ON
(illustrated catalogue)
January, 2012:
Small Treasures
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Vancouver, BC
May – June, 2012:
The Unexpected Feheley Fine Arts Toronto, Ontario
August – September, 2012:
Transformations Galerie Vincent Ottawa, Ontario
April – June 2013:
Animal Power: Images in Contemporary Inuit Art Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
June – July 2002:
Ohito Ashoona Canadian Arctic Gallery Grunder
Switzerland
(illustrated brochure)
February 1989:
Ohito Ashoona
Eskimo Art Gallery Toronto, Ontario,Canada
May 1995:
Ohito Ashoona
Gallery Indigena
Stratford, Ontario, Canada
June – July 2005:
Ohito Ashoona Canadian Arctic Gallery Basel, Switzerland
May – June, 2008:
Ohito Ashoona Canadian Arctic Gallery Basel, Switzerland
May – June, 2010:
Polar Bears
Canadian Arctic Gallery Basel, Switzerland
COLLECTIONS:
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta,Canada
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS and EVENTS:
1989
Attended the opening of his solo exhibition at the Eskimo Art Gallery in Toronto.
1989
Received a Division Award at the Scottsdale Fine Arts and Crafts Show in Scottsdale, Arizona.
1990
Travelled to Toronto to demonstrate soapstone carving at the annual winter festival.
2002
Winner of the 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Award; Arts and Culture.