Annie Pootoogook

Annie Pootoogook was found dead in the Rideau River in Ottawa on September 19, 2016, in what police declared as a suspicious death. Her body was a short walk from the shelter she had been staying in at the time. Two autopsies determined her cause of death to have been drowning, though it was never declared if somebody else had intentionally killed her.

After her death, the lead investigator on the case, Sergeant Chris Hrnchiar posted online comments that were condemned and labelled as racist, commenting that it was likely the death was due to alcoholism or drug abuse because of her ethnicity. He preemptively declared "it's not a murder case" on social media. An investigation into Hrnchiar's conduct was undertaken as a result. In November 2016, Hrnchiar pled guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act, and for making comments on an open investigation.

Pootoogook was known for her drawings created in pen and coloured pencils that depict contemporary Inuit life. Inuit life and experiences influenced her career immensely, providing her with the subject matter that she would later render. Her work primarily focused on three subject types: the everyday experiences of women living in the Canadian North, the hardships faced by Northern communities and the impact of technology on traditional Inuit life. In addition, her work often juxtaposes intimate home interior scenes with scenes of alcoholism, violence, and domestic abuse – lessening the safety of the home.

After winning the Sobey Award she continued to receive exposure. She exhibited in major art shows such as the Biennale de Montreal, Art Basel and Documenta 12. Pootoogook was the first Inuit artist to participate in Documenta – an exhibition of contemporary art held in Kassel, Germany.

Pootoogook participated in one her last exhibitions in 2012 at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Denise Markonish, the exhibition titled Oh, Canada, showcased 62 Canadian artists including the work of Pootoogook's cousin Shuvinai Ashoona Pootoogook was the only professional artist from the Ottawa region represented in the exhibition.

From 2009 to 2010 her work was shown in solo exhibitions at multiple galleries including the Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston, Ontario), the National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, D.C.) and the George Gustav Heye Centre (Manhattan, New York). In 2010 her work was also exhibited at the Biennale of Sydney.

Pootoogook had her first major solo exhibition in 2006 when her work was displayed as part of a well-received show at The Power Plant in Toronto, Ontario. The exhibition, designed by Nancy Campbell, focused on mythology, Inuit communities and difficulties of life in the Arctic.

In November 2006 she won the Sobey Art Award and was granted the prize of $50,000 (CDN). The Sobey Award is granted to an artist who is 39 years of age or younger and has shown their work in a public or commercial gallery in Canada in the past 18 months, at the time of their application. The press release announcing Pootoogook's win noted that "her work reflects both the current moment of a specific tradition and of a contemporary drawing practice."

Annie Pootoogook's art began to be widely collected by Canadian art institutions in 2006 after she won The Sobey Award. The Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, Ontario), The National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario), and Feheley Fine Arts (Toronto, Ontario) all hold significant collections of Pootoogook's work.

Pootoogook had a small exhibition in 2003 at The Feheley Art Gallery. This was her first solo exhibition and was important for her career because it made her name more widely known.

The 2000s were Pootoogook's most productive years. It was between 2001 and 2007 that Pootoogook was the most prolific in her art making. She worked as an independent artist during this period, leaving the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in 2001. During this time, she drew intimate home interior scenes depicting alcoholism, violence, and domestic abuse, the everyday experiences of a women living in the Canadian North, the hardships faced by Northern communities, and the impact of technology on traditional Inuit life. Pootoogook solidified her style and content during this period beginning to draw images that could be easily attributed to her. She created over 1000 works on paper and it was during this time that she began to be recognized as an artist outside of the Inuit community.

Pootoogook began making art in 1997 at the age of 28. She worked with the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative (previously known as Kinngait Studios) in Cape Dorset, Nunavut. In her early career with the Co-operative she was not given any artistic freedom.

Annie Pootoogook (May 11, 1969 – September 19, 2016) was a Canadian Inuk artist known for her pen and coloured pencil drawings. In her art, Pootoogook often portrayed the experiences of those who lived in her community of Cape Dorset (Kinngait), in Northern Canada and occurrences that she herself experienced.

Annie Pootoogook was born on May 11, 1969, in Cape Dorset (Kinngait), Canada. Pootoogook grew up in a middle-class family whose wealth came primarily from their artistic practices. Her family worked in multiple mediums and styles and Pootoogook became interested in art at an early age. Her mother Napachie Pootoogook was an Inuk draftswoman and her father Eegyvudluk Pootoogook was a printmaker and stone sculptor. Pootoogook was the granddaughter of Pitseolak Ashoona a renowned graphic artist, the niece of printmaker Kananginak Pootoogook and the cousin of draftswoman Shuvinai Ashoona.