Asinnajaq
Asinnajaq is a Canadian Inuk visual artist, writer, filmmaker, and curator[1] from Inukjuak, Quebec.[2] She is most noted for her 2017 film Three Thousand, which received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Short Documentary Film at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards.[3]
![](../I/m/Asinnajaq.jpg)
She has also been active as a curator of Inuit art and video projects, including the Canadian pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale[4] and the Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.[5]
Personal life
Asinnajaq was born in Inukjuak, Nunavik and is currently based out of Montreal, Quebec. The name “Asinnajaq” is a family name that means “nomadic outlier” in the local Inuktitut dialect. Her mother, Carol Rowan, is a university professor, while her father, Jobie Weetaluktuk is a filmmaker.[6] She studied film at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design at the University in Halifax. She assisted her father on Timuti (2012), a film he made in Inukjuak, home of their extended family.[7] She is the niece of Daniel Weetaluktuk, the first Inuk archeologist in Canada, who is the subject of her upcoming short film Daniel.[8]
Work
Through her artistic work, Asinnajaq draws her inspiration from the notion of respect for human rights, and the desire to explore her Inuit heritage. Her practice is grounded in research and collaboration.[9] Her short film Upinnaqusittik, made in 2016, premiered at iNuit Blanche, the first ever circumpolar arts festival in St. John's.[10] While working for the National Film Board, drawing on their archives, she directed her film Three Thousand in 2017.[11] Alongside her artistic work, she has led Inuit culture workshops at the McCord Museum[12] with her mother.[13][14] Asinnajaq was also part of the curatorial team at the Canadian Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale.[15]
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Festival/Institution | Location |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | "Ô Canada — Québec, Premières Nations, etc." Program[16] | Festival international du court métrage | France |
2018 | Best Indigenous Short Film Award[17] | Skábmagovat Film Festival | Finland |
2018 | International Indigenous Award[18] | Wairoa Maori Film Festival | New Zealand—Aotearoa |
2017 | Short and Medium Length Competition[19] | Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal | Canada |
2017 | Imagine Native Film and Kent Monkman Award for Best Exposition[20]
|
Media Arts Festival | Canada |
2017 | Indigenous Art Award [21] | REVEAL | Canada |
References
- Foundation, Inuit Art. "asinnajaq | Inuit Art Foundation | Artist Database". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "Winnipeg Art Gallery names 4 curators for Inuit Art Centre's 1st exhibitions". CBC News Manitoba, February 8, 2018.
- "Natar Ungalaaq and Asinnajaq nominated for Canadian Screen Awards". Inuit Art Quarterly, March 15, 2018.
- Greenberger, Alex (December 13, 2017). "Isuma Will Represent Canada at the 2019 Venice Biennale". ARTnews. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
- Lenard Monkman, "Construction begins on Winnipeg Art Gallery's Inuit Art Centre". CBC News Indigenous, May 25, 2018.
- Foundation, Inuit Art. "asinnajaq | Inuit Art Foundation | Artist Database". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "Asinnajaq". cinema politica. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "Daniel Weetaluktuk: A Community Archaeology Pioneer". Your Museum. Your Stories. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "Session: Isabella Weetaluktuk". Dazibao (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- Canada, Office national du film du. "Films de l'ONF réalisés par Asinnajaq". Office national du film du Canada (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "Montreal film screening aims to emphasize Indigenous politics, perspectives".
- Canada, National Film Board of, Three Thousand, retrieved 2020-04-04
- Foundation, Inuit Art. "asinnajaq | Inuit Art Foundation | Artist Database". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "Animaatiot pärjäsivät alkuperäiskansojen elokuvafestivaalilla – Skábmagovat-palkinnot jaettiin ensimmäistä kertaa". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- Foundation, Inuit Art. "asinnajaq | Inuit Art Foundation | Artist Database". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- "film-documentaire.fr - Portail du film documentaire". www.film-documentaire.fr. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- "Three Thousand".
- Canada, National Film Board of. "National Film Board of Canada". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- "Palmarès de la 22e édition". RIDM (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- "2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Awards - SWEET COUNTRY Wins Best Dramatic Feature". VIMOOZ. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- Foundation, Inuit Art. "Long Biography & Citations". Inuit Art Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-05.