Emerak: Drawings

Robert Kardosh

Over the course of an artistic career that lasted roughly 12 years, the late Mark Emerak (1901-1983) created an impressive body of more than 900 pencil and ink drawings. With no previous background as an artist, the former subsistence hunter managed to produce a nearly comprehensive visual record of the traditional lifestyle of the Copper Inuit to whom he belonged, creating highly imaginative art in the process.

Although Emerak’s images have been available as limited edition prints (produced by the Holman Eskimo Cooperative), his original drawings have rarely been seen. Published in 2005 in conjunction with the first-ever exhibition of Emerak’s original works on paper, this brochure provides a long-overdue examination of the drawn expression of this significant northern Canadian artist. Includes illustrations of 10 works, and features an essay by the Marion Scott Gallery’s Robert Kardosh.