Ooloosie Saila

Canadian Inuit artist born in Kinngait—Cape Dorset in 1991, Ooloosie Saila has been immersed in an artistic environment since her early childhood. She was first introduced to drawing through one of her friend’s grandmother, the famous artist Kenojuak Ashevak, whom she visits regularly. From one visit to the next, Ooloosie cultivates her plastic skills and develops a bold practice of colour and composition that now characterizes her work. She’s also the granddaughter of sculptor Pauta Saila. Many of Ooloosie’s northern landscapes are now part of the Montreal Museum of Fine Art’s collection. 

Ooloosie Saila traces the primary forms of her works with a line that is confident, but never straight. The refined space she works in is first divided into curved and vibrant sections. Next comes the colour. She saturates the chosen space with the tip of her pencils, often in blue, attracted by the idea of drawing her own version of the landscape from her imagination rather than making a faithful reproduction. Her imagination is only matched by the immensity of the Arctic expanses that inspire her.