PROVENANCE
Private Collection, British Columbia

LITERATURE
James Houston, Eskimo Prints, 1971, reproduced page 38
Ernst Roch, Arts of the Eskimo: Prints, 1974, reproduced front cover and page 37
Jean Blodgett, Kenojuak, 1985, reproduced catalogue #10
Leslie Boyd Ryan, Cape Dorset Prints: A Retrospective, 2007, reproduced page 53
Gerald McMaster et al., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010, reproduced page 81
Anna Hudson et al., Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitseiulak, 2018, reproduced page 81

The Woman Who Lives in the Sun is one of Kenojuak Ashevak’s most well-known works, and perhaps one of the only works that can stand up to The Enchanted Owl in terms of its quintessential design and commanding evocation. Typical of her early 1960s works, the sun's long rays mimic the energetic plumage of her famous owl, and the sun stares directly at the viewer, demanding our attention. Tattoos radiate from her chin, indicating the femininity of the sun; chin tattoos traditionally signified a girl's introduction to womanhood.

The notion of a feminine sun seems like an obvious choice, as it is the giver of light, warmth and life. However, Kenojuak, in a 1979 interview with Marion Jackson, confirmed that the idea derived from an Inuit myth about the sun and moon. After a brother and sister unknowingly commit incest, the sister flees into the sky in shame, carrying a brightly lit torch. The brother chases after her, but his torch goes out and he becomes the moon, while his sister transforms into the sun.

Like Kenojuak’s The Enchanted Owl, this iconic work was also printed in two colours; the first half of the edition was printed in yellow and the second in red – a decision made in haste when the yellow paint ran dry.

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