Jimmy Aqpik
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Featured
Ningeosiaq Ashoona
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b. 1979
Art has always been a part of Ningeosiaq's life, with aclaimed artists, [Mayoreak Ashoona][1] and Kaka Ashoona, for parents. She has been carving since 1998 and has had numerous solo exhibitions across Canada.
Read MoreMayoreak Ashoona RCA
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b. 1946
Mayoreak Ashoona is known for her highly imaginative and brightly coloured graphics and is recognized as a master carver. She has contributed to exhibitions in Canada, Germany and Japan.
She is the partner of noted artist Qaqaq Ashoona and was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 2003.
Read MorePitseolak Ashoona
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1904-1983
During the course of Pitseolak's influential career as an artist she created more than 7,000 drawings depicting her experiences in traditional Inuit culture and life. Pitseolak's first images were published in a Cape Dorset print collection in 1960 and appeared in each subsequent collection until her death in 1983.
Johnny Inukpuk
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B. 1911 - 2007
Inoucdjouac, Québec
Johnny Inukpuk began carving in the early 1950's and his sculptures reflected both the austere and loving realities of life.
His work received recognition as part of an exhibition of Inuit art known as The Coronation Exhibition held at Gimpel Fils in London, England in 1953.
In 1978, Inukpuk was made a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Fine Arts. A prolific artist, he was still carving well into his later years.
Read MoreOsuitok Ipeelee
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B. 1922 - 2005
Neeouleeutalik Camp, NT
Osuitok Ipeelee was an artist originally from the Neeouleeutalik Camp. He first learned to carve by watching his father Ohotok and then by experimenting in his teens with carving wood and other found materials. Ipeelee moved to Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU, where he became instrumental in the print and carving programs in the community, creating depictions of Arctic animals as well as humans engaged in traditional activities. Caribou were among his preferred subject matter, crafting their elegant bodies from stone and antler, such as his work Standing Caribou (1985). In 1955, along with Peter Pitseolak, Ipeelee directed a team of craftsmen to carve the official mace for the Council of the Northwest Territories. In 1959, he was also commissioned to create a sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, which was presented to her upon her visit to Canada that same year.
Read MoreToona Iqalik (Iquliq)
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1935-2015
Baker Lake, Nunavut Territory
Toona Iqalik was born in 1935 near Baker Lake, where he lived and worked for most of his career. With over 40 years of experience carving, he is most recognized for his rounded abstract carvings of people. However, figures such as muskox, birds and bears were also characteristic. His children, Johnny, Louie and Camill are also well known carvers. Since the 1960s, Toona has had numerous exhibitions across North America and the United States as well as in Europe and England.
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Kiakshuk
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Kiakshuk (Keeakshook) was born in 1886 on the south coast of Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island), Nunavut. He would move with his family to the Andrew Gordon Bay area east of Cape Dorset (Baffin Island) in the early 1900s. His name has become synonymous with the early prints from Cape Dorset.
Read MoreBilly Merkosak
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Billy Merkosak is an established Inuit sculptor from Coral Harbour, Nunavut. Merkosak is known for his whale bone carvings that respond to the tradition lifestyle and culture of the Inuit. Their forms are inspired by archaeological artifacts and legends passed down through generations.
Read MoreElijah Michael
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B. 1929-2008
Kimmirut, Nunavut Territory
Elijan Michael began carving at age 16 and prefers working in stone, ivory and antler.
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Jonathan Puqiqnak
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Featured
Uriash Puqiqnak
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Uriash Puqiqnak is a world-renown carver. His pieces have helped define the iconic Gjoa Haven style which is known for its playful characters carved out of dark soapstone.
Napachie Pootoogook
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1938-2002
Baffin Island, Nunavut Territory
Napachie Pootoogook was known both for her prints and, later in her career, for her original drawings. Napachie is known for documenting ancestral stories of camp life and legend. Since the 1960s her work has been a highlight of the Cape Dorset Print Collection. Her work was shaped by her experience as the last of a generation to live 'on the land' in a traditional way.
Read MoreJoanie (Joani) Raggie
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B. 1986
Joanie Raggie has an affinity for sculpting animals especially polar bears who he imbues with a whimsical sense of movement.
Read MoreAxangayuk Shaa, RCA
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b. 1937
Cape Dorset
Axangayuk Shaa has been carving since the age of seventeen. With over eleven solo exhibitions and numerous group shows both in Canada and internationally, Axangayuk Shaa is one of the most prominent sculptures of Cape Dorset. He was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 2003.
Read MoreDaniel Shimout
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1972 - 2022
Salliq, NU
Daniel Shimout is an artist based in Salliq (Coral Harbour), NU, where he was born and raised. He has been carving since his teenage years, following in the footsteps of many artists in his family.
Daniel Shimout grew up watching his father, Anakudlak Shimout, carve and learned about the different tools and techniques he used, which influences some of the processes Shimout uses today. Shimout started carving at the young age of 16 and has been carving for over 25 years now.
Read MoreToonoo Sharky RCA
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Toonoo’s parents, Josephee Sharky and Ragee Killiktee, were both carvers, though he credits his grandfather Kuppapik Ragee and his uncle Shorty Killiktee as influences. Toonoo started carving at age ten, began to get serious at thirteen and first exhibited when he was just seventeen. He is regarded as one of the most exciting young carvers to emerge in the Arctic. His themes include dramatic treatments of wildlife, particularly birds, and transformational works that are both powerful and humorous. Recent sculptures feature inlays of different coloured stone and ivory for eyes and other details.
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Nicotye Samayualie
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b. 1983
Nicotye Samayulie is an emerging artist from Cape Dorset who has garnered attention for her playful presentation of common objects including fishing shelves and cooking pots. Her landscapes allow the viewer to glimpse the rugged hills and snowy valleys of the north.
Kudluajuk Ashoona
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1958 - 2019
Cape Dorset, Nunavut Territory
Kudluajuk Ashoona's biological parents were the well-known carvers, Kabubuwa and Tayara Tunnillie. She was adopted by the family of the notable graphic artist, Simeonie Quppapik. Kudluajuk did not seriously begin to make art until 2011. In a rare reversal of influence, she was inspired to draw by her daughter, Nicotye Samayualie. Kudluajuk’s works are very narrative and literal. Her drawings often depict scenes of contemporary family life. Family outings, domestic gatherings and leisure activities are some of her favourite subjects.
Read MoreMayoreak Ashoona RCA
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b. 1946
Mayoreak Ashoona is known for her highly imaginative and brightly coloured graphics and is recognized as a master carver. She has contributed to exhibitions in Canada, Germany and Japan.
She is the partner of noted artist Qaqaq Ashoona and was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy in 2003.
Read MoreShuvinai Ashoona
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Shuvinai Ashoona was born in 1961 in Cape Dorset, NU. Her imaginative and evocative drawings take a personal look at complex realities of contemporary Inuit life , histories of traditional spirituality versus organized religion and the influence of North American culture on a population that has experienced a dramatic change of lifestyle and culture in a single generation.
Read MoreTim Pitsiulak
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B. 1967
Cape Dorset, Nunavut
Tim Pitsiulak comes from a family of artists including his aunt, Kenojuak Ashevak, who inspired him to become an artist. The primary influence for many of his realistic drawings is the land of Nunavut and its wildlife.
Read MoreQuvianaqtuk Pudlat
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b. 1962 -
Kinggait, Nunavut Territory
Quvianaqtuk Putlat’s career as an artist has shifted from carving to drawing over the last decade. His two dimensional work was first shown in the 2017 print collection where his print “Sparring Owls” was selected for the cover. Since that time, we have seen his individual style become more established and it now stands at the forefront of contemporary Inuit art. Quvianiaqtuk has an innate ability to take well established themes and elevate them through a contemporary lens. Images of caribou bring to mind Kananginak Pootoogook, while the epic scale and expressive character of the subjects are reminiscent of Tim Pitsiulak. However, Quvianaqtuk’s drawings are distinct and exceptional, showing his unique voice in the artistic community.
Read MoreNicotye Samayualie
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b. 1983
Nicotye Samayulie is an emerging artist from Cape Dorset who has garnered attention for her playful presentation of common objects including fishing shelves and cooking pots. Her landscapes allow the viewer to glimpse the rugged hills and snowy valleys of the north.
Padloo Samayualie
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Padloo Samayualie
Kinngait, Nunavut
B. 1977-
Padloo comes from a family of well-known artists, her maternal grandparents being the renowned sculptors, Qababuwa and Taraya Tunnillie. Her grandmother, Keeleemeeoomie Samayualie and her aunt, Elijakota Samayualie both were established artists in drawing and graphic arts.
Padloo has a unique approach to both traditional and contemporary subjects and began drawing seriously while attending a Banff drawing workshop in 2001.
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