Apr 26, 2023

Life on the page

The book Alego retells Ningiukulu Teevee’s childhood growing up in Kinngait with her grandmother.

The cover of Ningiukulu Teevee's book Alego

Images from Alego by Ningeokuluk Teevee. Reproduced with permission from Groundwood Books.

Artist and writer Ningiuluku Teevee (b. 1963) explores life in Kinngait, Nunavut as a young Inuit girl in her 2009 children’s book Alego. With whimsical pencil illustrations by Teevee that fill every page, Alego tells the story alongside texts in Inuktitut and English. Readers follow along with Alego as she goes to the shore with her Anaanatsiaq (grandmother) to collect clams for supper for the first time. She ends up discovering tide pools brimming with fascinating sea creatures. The glossary at the back of the book includes the Inuktitut name of each animal along with a drawing. On top of showing off the natural surroundings of the Arctic, this story also highlights the importance of family in Inuit communities. Alego was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for children's literature — illustration in 2009.

a spread from Ningiukulu Teevee's book Alego

Images from Alego by Ningeokuluk Teevee. Reproduced with permission from Groundwood Books.

Teevee is no stranger to drawing animals and storytelling in her works. Just like in Alego, which is autobiographical, much of her art draws on the Inuit stories and legends she heard as a child. Through her fine sense of design and composition, she frequently depicts owls, walruses and seabirds, which has become popular among collectors of her work. In her world, a being can exist as both a human and an Arctic animal without the need for explanation.

Images from Alego by Ningeokuluk Teevee. Reproduced with permission from Groundwood Books.

A self-taught artist, Teevee draws in a style that boasts bold colour and playful meticulous designs. Since 2004, she has been contributing to the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collections and is known as one of the most versatile graphic artists to emerge from the Kinngait Studios. She was recently longlisted for the 2023 Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award.

Images from Alego by Ningeokuluk Teevee. Reproduced with permission from Groundwood Books.

Want to explore more of Teevee’s works? Now at the AGO on Level 2 in Gallery 225, Ningiukulu Teevee: Chronicles for the Curious is on view. Featuring a selection of her colourful drawings, the exhibition draws works from the AGO Collection and private collections. With wit and wonderment, the works recount Inuit lore and contemporary life in the Arctic. Be sure to catch the exhibition before it closes May 3, 2023.