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.
B: 1963
Igloolik, NU
Born in Sanirajak (NU), Inuk artist George Auksaq is based in Igloolik (NU). Auksaq's work is known for his inclusion of antler and bone in his stone compositions, as the stone from his area is not ideal for polishing. George Auksaq also undertook some jewellery-making courses at the Nunavut Arctic College (Igloolik, NU)
B. 1984
Kinngait, Nunavut
Koomuatuk (Kuzy) Curley is a sculptor, director and videographer from Kinngait, NU. Curley learned to carve from his grandparents during the summers he spent as a child at their outpost camp near Kinngait and began to carve professionally while in junior high school, becoming the third generation carver of his family. In 2014 Curley directed his film "Kiawak Ashoona" and has exhibited his work across Canada including being featured in iNuit Blanche in 2016, St. John’s, NL. Curley has written for and appeared in the "Inuit Art Quarterly" as well as many other publications.
Kelly Etidloie is a Mid Career Inuit carver. His mother Kingmeata Etidloi was a prolific graphic artist. His father Etidloi Etidloi was also an artist. He is known for his carvings of narwhals, muskoxen, and inuksuit. His work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States, France, Germany, and Switzerland.
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.
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.
Mattiusi Iyaituk is internationally recognized for his unique contemporary approach to carving. Often using multiple materials such as stone, ivory, bone and hair, his carvings are rooted in traditional motifs but expressed through a contemporary lens.
His works are found in many important public collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
B: 1973
Kimmirut, Nunavut
Simeonie Killiktee is a mid-career carver based out of Kimmirut, Nunavut. He learned carving as a boy by watching his father and grandfather. Working mostly with serpentine, Killiktee is known for his stylized depictions of Arctic wildlife that emphasize form and movement.
Jonasie Manning
B. 1985
Frobisher Bay
Jonasie Manning is an emerging artist based in Cape Dorset.
A young artist, Manning learned to carve by watching renowned artist Nujaliaq Qimirpik when he visited Cape Dorset.
Kinngait, NU
B: May 5, 1991
Adamie Mathewsie is a young Inuit artist based out of Kinngait, NU. His sculptures often feature Arctic animals, especially dancing bears and families of owls.
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.
B. 1929-2008
Kimmirut, Nunavut Territory
Elijan Michael began carving at age 16 and prefers working in stone, ivory and antler.
Andy Miki
1918 - 1983
Arviat
Andy Miki's stylized minimal carvings of wildlife are internationally recognized as leading works that helped establish the regional aesthetic of Arviat. Miki, alongside other Arviat artists such as John Pangnark and Lucy Tasseor have influenced the following generations of carvers and made significant and lasting contributions to Canadian Art.
Originally from Iqaluit, Kakee moved to Cape Dorset in 1993. He began carving at the age of 16 and although he is self-taught, he also learned by watching other carvers, which included His father, Ningeosiak Peter, and his mother, Parnee Peter. Kakee’s grandfather, the late Jamasie Teevee was a well-known graphic artist.
B. 1970
Cape Dorset.
Pitseolak Oshutsiaq is an established carver from Cape Dorset and the son of artist Omalluk Oshutsiaq.
B. 1946
Gjoa Haven
Andrew Palongayak is a stone and mixed-media sculptor from Gjoa Haven, Nunavut Territory. His wife, Ann Palongayak, and her brother, Ralph Porter, are also artists. Andy carves both animal and human figures, frequently depicting shamans and associated spirits. His carving evokes a sense of considerable strength and solidity.
B: 1976
Puvirnituq, QC
Markoosie Papigatok is a well recognized carver based in Kinngait, Nunavut. Papigatok was born in Puvirnituq Nunavuk, Quebec. He learned carving by observing those around him, including his grandfather, Qavaroak Tunnillie, and uncle, Ashevak Tunnillie.
Papigatok’s sculptures have been included in exhibitions throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. His work is continuously featured in the Canadian Art Gallery in Basel, Switzerland, and can be found in the public collections of the Musee d’art Inuit Brousseau in Quebec City, QC, and the Canada Council Art Bank in Ottawa, ON, among others.
Nuna was born near Cape Dorset and lived with his adoptive parents the graphic artists Parr and Eleeshushe. The family moved to Cape Dorset in 1960, after Parr was injured in an accident, and the young Nuna started carving while he was still in school. His interest in hunting and his regard for the animal life of the Arctic are directly reflected in his work. His rounded forms have great movement and a natural flow with the grain of the stone, as if both were made for each other. He has been carving for forty years, and his work continues to be shown nationally and internationally.
Isacci Petaulassie
B. 1973
Cape Dorset
Isacie Petaulasie is a mid career artist that has become recognized for his sense of whimsy and technical ability as a carver.
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.
B. 1975
Gjoa Haven, Nunavut Territory, Canada
Wayne comes from a family of artists, his grandfather (Nelson Takkiruq) is a well known carver of Gjoa Haven, and his grandmother (Mary) does sculpture and wallhangings. His parents Uriash and Lorraine Puqiqnak are both carvers. Lorraine also works on jewellery and crafts.
B. 1965
Cape Dorset
Palaya learned how to carve the traditional way - by watching his father. He carved his first two pieces at the age of 12, a bird and a bear. For the past 20 years Palaya has been carving and keeping traditioal stories alive through his work. Stories of transformation and shmanism from his childhood are among Palaya's favourite themes.
Although Palaya views himself as an artist above all else, he is also a "traditionalist with a mission."
"I also see my mission as edicating and teaching others about my culture. Any opportunity I have to travel and give demonstrations and workshops helps contribute to others' apreciation of our art forms." - Palaya Qiatsuq
Pitseolak Qimirpik
B. 1986
Cape Dorset
Pitseolak (Pits) Qimirpik is quickly establishing himself as a leading young artist in the Inuit art market. He is the son of well established carver Kellypalik Qimirpik.
B. 1986
Joanie Raggie has an affinity for sculpting animals especially polar bears who he imbues with a whimsical sense of movement.
Cape Dorset
1939 - 2008
Meekeeseetee is the son of the famous Cape Dorset sculptor Pauta Saila.
Meekeeseetee has been exhibiting for more than 35 years and his work is held in collections accross North America. He is known for his graceful minimalist representations of wildlife, particularly loons.
B. 1970. Cape Dorset
Etulu Salomonie began his artistic career in 1995. He is influenced by the work of Kellypalik Etidloie and learned to carve sculptures out of local stones from his grandfather.
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.
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.
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.
Kinngait (Cape Dorset) - 1959
Jutai Toonoo is one of the most original voices in contemporary Inuit art. Inspired early on by his father, a hunter and sculptor, Toonoo developed a bold, unconventional style that pushed beyond traditional Inuit sculpture.
Known for expressive stone carvings and striking works on paper, he was also among the first artists in Kinngait to experiment with oil sticks. His powerful and deeply personal work gained international recognition, including inclusion in Sakahan at the National Gallery of Canada in 2013.
B. 1972
Arviat
Mary Tutsiutok was born and raised in Arviat. She learned to carve by watching her mother Alice Sakitnak Akammak, and mother-in-law, Lucy (Tasseor) Tutsuitok. Mary carves by hand, without the use of power tools.
B. 1934-2012, Nunavut Territory. Lucy Tasseor began making soap stone sculptures in the early 1960s and had a prolific career that lasted more than four decades. The majority of Tasseor’s sculptures portray domestic subjects with people or familial groups represented through clusters of faces.
B. 1949-2014
Cape Dorset, Nunavut Territory
Oviloo Tunnillie is the daughter of two artists, Sheojuk and Toonoo Tunnillie. From watching her father carve, she developed an early interest in the practice and completed her first sculpture in 1965. She is one of the only Inuit artists to choose nudes as her subject matter.
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.