Feheley Fine Arts Presents Ooloosie Saila's First Solo Exhibition 'Horizons' March 7-30 in Toronto

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Feheley Fine Arts is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of drawings by Ooloosie Saila (b. 1991). At the forefront of a new generation of Inuit artists, Ooloosie Saila: Horizons features her concentrated colour pencil landscape drawings and whimsical portrayals of owls. Working in the Arts Studios in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut, Saila already reveals a mastery of her technique; she builds her drawings through small blocks of bright colours depicting the hills, islands and bodies of water. Living in a community with vast white landscapes, she is naturally inspired by her environment, however, her drawn sceneries are imagined. Meanwhile, through bold and wispy lines, she stylizes wide yellow-eyed owls majestically spreading their wings. Her oeuvre captures her artistic influences as the near symmetry of her birds resemble those of the celebrated Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) while her landscapes hint at the contrasting mountains by Ohotaq Mikkigak (1936-2014).

A rising star, Ooloosie Saila is among the youngest on Feheley's roster of emerging Inuit artists. As a child, she was inspired to draw through occasional visits to the home of her friend's grandmother, Kenojuak Ashevak. These visits facilitated an environment where Saila would cultivate drawing skills and a sharp eye for striking use of colour and composition which now characterizes her work, as well as an understanding of the importance of hard work and perseverance. She is also the great-granddaughter of Pauta Saila (1916-2009), renowned sculptor and graphic artist. In 2015, Saila started working in the Kinngait Studios in Cape Dorset.

Saila's work was included for the first time in the 2017 Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection. Feheley Fine Arts presented a drawing by Saila for the first time at Art Toronto 2017; this landscape drawing was acquired by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Following this success, Feheley Fine Arts presented her at the Art on Paper fair in New York in 2018. At the early stages in her career, this graphic artist continues to draw attention from both Canadian and international collectors.

Ooloosie Saila is travelling from Kinngait to attend the opening. 

Opening:  March 7, 2019, 5–7 p.m.

Feheley Fine Arts
65 George St.
Toronto, ON M5A 4L8

For images, additional information or to arrange an interview with the artist, please contact:

Stephanie Gagné
416 323 1373
[email protected]

Related Images

composition-sunset.jpg
COMPOSITION (SUNSET)
2018, coloured pencil & ink, 23 x 30 inches

composition-restless-waters.jpg
COMPOSITION (RESTLESS WATERS)
2018, coloured pencil & ink, 31.5 x 50.25 inches

composition-landscape.jpg
COMPOSITION (LANDSCAPE)
2018, coloured pencil & ink, 25 x 93 inches

composition-stripped-landscape.jpg
COMPOSITION (STRIPPED LANDSCAPE)
2017, coloured pencil & ink, 30.25 x 50 inches

Related Links

Gallery website

Artist page

SOURCE Feheley Fine Arts