Indigenous Art Installation at Rideau Hall | The Governor General of Canada – Gouverneure générale du Canada

Art is a beautiful way to tell stories, and to illustrate history, culture and traditions. Engaging with art allows us to be part of a global community where we can learn from a multitude of perspectives and ideas.  

Rideau Hall is proud to host a series of Indigenous artworks on loan from the Indigenous Art Centre. The grouping of these artworks is centred on storytelling, with each artist using their unique perspective to illustrate life, traditions, mythology, Inuit legends or wildlife.

For a limited time, these artworks are on display in the Ballroom and Reception Room at Rideau Hall, located only a few minutes from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. The exhibit is part of the free guided tour of the residence, and will be on display until fall 2023.

Plan your visit today!

Ballroom

The Ballroom at Rideau Hall is where the governor general welcomes Canadian and foreign dignitaries, and honours Canadians who have done something exceptional for their country or community. State dinners, investiture ceremonies and many other official functions take place in this room.

On the south wall of the Ballroom is a triptych entitled Murmur. The artist, Meryl McMaster, is known for combining performance and photography in her work. Her performative self-portraits present journeys that are both actual and imaginative, into the realms of her ancestors.

Murmur, 2013

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Meryl McMaster (Ottawa, ON, 1988)
Murmur (2013), Ink jet print on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Meryl McMaster

Meryl McMaster is of nêhiyaw (Plains Cree, from Red Pheasant Cree Nation), British and Dutch ancestry, and is a member of the Siksika First Nation. She is well known for her large-format self-portraits that feature themes of self through land, lineage, history and culture. Murmur was inspired by the natural phenomenon of a murmuration, a mass of starlings that fly together as one. In this triptych, the artist is surrounded by thousands of paper ‘starlings’ flying around her, cut from North American history books. This art piece is meant to demonstrate the reclaiming of history and our discontent with it.

Reception Room

The Reception Room is a part of the original villa built by Thomas MacKay in 1838. Today, guests attending ceremonial events in the Ballroom are received in this room. Smaller official ceremonies often take place in the Reception Room as well.

The Reception Room exhibit features Inuit art that is centred on storytelling, through prints and drawings that narrate life in the Arctic, traditions, mythology, Inuit legends and wildlife. Each piece touches on the fragility of the environment and communicates messages about the sacred nature of the land.

Beginning in the late 1940s and ongoing today more than ever, Inuit artists—in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (Newfoundland and Labrador)—have contributed to a flourishing art market with their sculptures, drawings, printmaking and work in other media. Their art addresses issues of identity and aesthetics, and tell compelling stories of cross-cultural interaction.

Caribou Woman, 2000

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Arnaquq Ashevak (Keatuk, NU, 1956 – 2009, Iqaluit, NU)
Caribou Woman, 2000, lithograph on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Arnaquq (Arnaqu) Ashevak was a multidisciplinary artist renowned for his three-dimensional work. His print, Caribou Woman, represents a transformation scene, where animal and human bodies merge together to create a new life form. As meaningful topics in Inuit cosmology and shamanism, transformation scenes represent the universe’s three realms: one for the living, one for the dead and one for spirits.

At the Fish Weir, 1999

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Sheojuk Etidlooie (Akkuatuloulavik outpost camp, NU, 1929 – 1999, Cape Dorset, NU)
At the Fish Weir, 1999, lithograph on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Sheojuk Etidlooie’s artistic career began when she was 60 years old, and only lasted seven years. She created an unusual and important body of works on paper unlike anything else coming out of Cape Dorset at that time. Animals, including dogs, caribou, fish, seals and birds, were her most frequent subjects. At the Fish Weir depicts a barrier placed in the river to direct the passage of—and trap—fish.

Untitled, 2016

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Qavavau Manumie (Brandon, MB, 1958)
Untitled, 2016, colour pencil and ink on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Qavavau Manumie was born in Brandon, Manitoba, but moved to Cape Dorset, Nunavut, at a young age. His work often depicts Inuit legends and mythology, Arctic wildlife and contemporary aspects of Inuit life in unique and amusing ways. Manumie’s imaginative style often combines both reality and fantasy, as depicted in Untitled.

Floe Edge Stories, 2016

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Tim Pitsiulak (Kimmirut, NU, 1967 – 2016, Iqaluit, NU)
Floe Edge Stories, 2016, graphite and colour pencil
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Tim Pitsiulak’s drawing and printmaking was inspired by the natural beauty he saw on his hunting expeditions. Floe Edge Stories shows Pitsiulak’s respect for nature and wildlife. Using elements of Inuit mythology, he used a textured drawing technique to give human form to the Arctic’s floe edge, or “sinaaq” in Inuktitut. The floe edge, also known as the “line of life,” is where ice attached to the shoreline meets the water, creating a wonderful and dynamic ecosystem for Arctic mammals.

Winsome Owl, 2013

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Malaija Pootoogook (Iqaluit, NU, 1971 – 2021)
Winsome Owl, 2013, etching and aquatint on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Born in Iqaluit, Malaija (Malaiya) Pootoogook was inspired by the work of her great-grandmother, Pitseolak Ashoona. Expressive depictions of birds and Arctic wildlife were a continuous theme in her work. Her style evolved from contour lines and minimal etching to include vibrant colours, seen here in Winsome Owl.

Sedna’s Creation, 2019

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Ningiukulu Teevee (Cape Dorset, NU, 1963)
Sedna’s Creation, 2019, stonecut on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts

Ningiukulu Teevee’s art is often inspired by Inuit legends. Her piece Sedna’s Creation captures a key moment in the myth of Sedna, goddess of the sea. Her fingers transform into marine creatures, providing a plentiful bounty for Inuit. Sedna also has the power to either create violent storms or to calm the sea. The story of Sedna continues to serve as a reminder to hunt responsibly and to live in balance with nature.

Man and Wife, 1979

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Simon Tookoome (Chantrey Inlet, NU, 1934 – 2010, Baker Lake, NU)
Man and Wife, 1979, linocut and stencil on paper
Loan from the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Reproduced with the permission of the Estate of Simon Tookoome

Throughout his lifetime, Simon Tookoome was a fisher, builder, teacher, jeweller, artist and carver whose skills were imbued with traditional Inuit knowledge. Tookoome’s drawings often focused on symmetry and balance, as seen in Man and Wife, wherein the figures are arranged in a near-perfect mirrored composition.

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