07. Tulugaq
Printer: Studio PM
2019
Malaija Pootoogook (1971-2021)
I enjoy drawing the different kinds of birds. I like to watch them fly; they look so peaceful and free.
Malaija Pootoogook was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Malaiya did her first drawing in 1994, inspired by the work of her great-grandmother, the late Pitseolak Ashoona. She was represented in the Cape Dorset annual print collection for the first time in 2011 with two affecting images of the Arctic Owl. Expressive and monumental depictions of birds and Arctic wildlife continued to be a theme in her work.
She is the adopted daughter of Paulassie Pootoogook and Ishuhungitok Pootoogook, both now deceased. Malaija has been surrounded by artists in her family. Her father Paulassie and brother Mosesee are both talented stone sculptors, while her brother Itee received acclaim for his contemporary drawings.