Audience, 2014, is one of several compositions by Ashoona that represent people of racial diversity. Exhibiting a wide range of skin tones and hair and eye colours, the figures reflect her exposure to people from different backgrounds through travel, television and film, and in the increasingly multicultural communities of Kinngait and Iqaluit. They affectionately wrap their arms around each other, signifying a powerful sense of belonging and community. There is a characteristic sense of mystery in this work, as we are not privy to what this audience is viewing. However, the group watching from outside, visible through the window in the upper centre, demonstrates the popularity of the production.
Shuvinai Ashoona: Mapping Worlds
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Shuvinai Ashoona, Audience, 2014
Fineliner pen and coloured pencil on paper, 91.4 x 161.3 cm, Collection of Paul and Mary-Dailey Desmarais. Photo credit: Toni Hafkenscheid.