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INUIT BIOG RAP H I ES
Pucker Gallery’s collection of Inuit art represents over 100 distinct artists, each contributing to
the region’s art in a unique and personal way. Biographies for each of these artists are available
upon request, and a few are highlighted below.
NUNA PARR
was born in 1949 near Cape Dorset and
lived with his parents, the graphic artists Parr and Eleeshushe. His brother,
Epirvik, is also a carver. The family moved to Cape Dorset in 1960, after Parr
was injured in an accident. The young Nuna started carving at the age of eight,
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, moving along the grain of the stone. His favorite
subject matter is the polar bear, either walking or dancing. He also carves ravens,
walruses, and human figures. Nuna Parr’s bears are among the most sought-after artworks from
Cape Dorset, desired for their scale, sense of movement, and vitality. Nuna is renowned nationally and
internationally, and his work has been shown widely in exhibitions in Canada, the United States, France,
and Germany. His creations can be found in public and private collections around the world. Nuna Parr
serves on the board for the Inuit Art Foundation.
Walking Bear
Soapstone | 19.5 x 19 x 10˝ | IN543
KENOJUAK ASHEVAK
was born in
1927 in Ikerrasak camp, near Cape Dorset, and passed away in January 2014.
Her life was not an easy one; at age six she witnessed her father’s death, she
was widowed three times, and lost nine of her fifteen children to disease.
However, despite the difficulties of her life, she was dedicated to “trying to make
something beautiful, that’s all.” Her artworks inspire joy and delight through
the use of brilliant colors and whimsical design and capture her spirit and
excitement for life. Ashevak was one of the first Inuit women in Cape Dorset
to begin drawing. She worked in graphite, colored pencils and felt-tip pens, and occasionally used
poster paints, watercolors, or acrylics. She created many carvings from soapstone and thousands of
drawings, etchings, and prints — all sought after by museums and collectors. After the 1981 publication
of Graphic Masterworks of the Inuit, Kenojuak had her first solo exhibition in Calgary. In 1967, she was
made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was later promoted to Companion. In 1974, she was
elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Her works have been displayed at the
Museum of Civilization, the National Gallery of Canada, and other galleries across Canada and abroad.
Spirit of the Owl, 1980
Lithograph on paper | Edition 2/50
22.25 x 31˝ | TWI6
Colourful Sentinel, 1980
Lithograph on paper | Edition 2/50
22.25 x 31˝ | TWI4
NAPACHIE SHARKY
was born in 1971
and currently resides in Cape Dorset. A relatively young Inuit artist, he has
distinguished himself at an early age by combining the best of the traditional
world with a modern sensibility. His command of both the creative impulse
and an expertise of working in the luscious varieties of the local serpentine
stone are revealed with each sculpture. Much of Sharky’s work demonstrates an
exuberance of spirit that frequently arises on a fine summer day, long anticipated
in the Arctic. His carvings celebrate the profusion of birds intrinsic to the Arctic
summer, fishing in the freshly flowing summer streams, and the ability to play outside at last. Sharky’s
birds highlight his dexterity and skill as a carver, with delicate wings and animated personalities.
Bird
Soapstone | 5 x 8.5 x 9.5˝ | IN716
JESSIE OONARK
was born in 1906 in a remote
area north of Baker Lake. She was married to an Inuit man at a young age, but
in 1953 was widowed with two of her eight children still dependent upon her.
During this period, the annual caribou migration — on which the Inuit in the
Kivalliq Region depended — shifted away from the area where she lived, leaving
many Inuit to starve. Unable to support her children through hunting under such
harsh conditions, she moved to Baker Lake in 1958. There, she started drawing,
inspired by her children’s efforts at the mission school in Baker Lake. Her work
was noticed by the wife of an area administrator, and was published in several print collections as a
result. Despite this late start at the age of 54, she became an active and prolific artist over the next 19
years, creating a body of work that won considerable critical acclaim and made her one of Canada’s
best known Inuit artists. Her style is marked by bold use of large areas of flat color and careful attention
to form. Although her medium was wall hangings and prints, her technique drew largely on traditional
styles used in Inuit sewing and clothing manufacture. Following surgery in 1979, she lost much of her
manual dexterity and produced only a few more pieces afterwards. She passed away in 1985 in Churchill,
Manitoba and is buried in Baker Lake.
Little Circle, 1973
Stencil on paper | Edition 8/50
10 x 11˝ | IN711