Library of Inuit Artists

Place of Birth: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Resides: Arviat; also lived in Baker Lake, Rankin Inlet Sculpture
Proof that all soapstone carvers do not have to come from the far north, George Arlook was born in Winnipeg in 1949. He taught himself how to carve soapstone at the age of 9, although his father was also a carver.

In the 1960s he was influenced by famous Inuit carvers like Tiktak, Kavik and John Pangnark, but by the mid 1970s he had developed a unique style of his own which was more semi-abstract. He depicts single figures such as hunters and mothers with babies in their hoods. Most often these figures intertwine to form abstract compositions of gently curving forms. His sculptures often include antler parts, which protrude from the stone in complex patterns to show the interaction of the caribou with the people of the land.

Since the early 1970s George's pieces have been shown in Winnipeg and across Canada. He has an extensive list of collectors of his work, including the Inuit Cultural Institute in Rankin Inlet, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.

Resides: Cape Dorset
Peter is the son of famous artist Nuna Parr. He began carving at age seventeen and enjoys carving animals such as walrus and polar bears. His wife, Alasuak Akesuk, is a carver. His grandparents were famous graphic artists in Dorset.

Resides: Cape Dorset
Tim Pee was born on July 17, 1976 in Cape Dorset, Baffin Island, Nunavut Territory. Tim is a very talented carver who specializes in polar bears. He carves full time.

Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok was born in Nunalla; she now resides in Arviat. Tasseor recalls, "When I first started carving, no one was interested in buying my work. Finally, my grandfather advised me. He showed me what to carve by drawing in the sand. He drew a figure with many heads."1 Whether depicting family groups or single figures, Tasseor carves small lines to suggest faces emerging from the stone. Multiple heads and faces on a common body often signify family or mother and child themes.

Tasseor's unornamented style is influenced by the hardness of the stone quarried in the Arviat area. "According to geologists, the carving stone in Arviat is metamorphic rock harder than the steel tools used by Arviat carvers."2 The grey stone does not take on a polished finish nor lend itself easily to being sculpted. As a result, a community style consisting of compact images, subtle details, and simplified shapes has arisen.

Judas Ullulaq was born in the area of Thom Bay, northeast of Taloyoak. He lived at outpost camps with his family until the late 1960s, when he settled in Taloyoak so his children could attend school. At the outset Ullulaq carved ivory miniatures, but his sculptures have increased dramatically in size over the years. He sculpts primarily in stone, using mixed-media accents such as ivory, antler, bone, sinew, and musk-ox horn. Distorted, wide-eyed, open-mouthed faces, and exaggerated gestures and body movements give his work a strong expressive and emotional presence. Ullulaq's style and subject matter are greatly influenced by the work of his nephew, Karoo Ashevak; his focus is on spirits and the supernatural, themes for which the Kitikmeot region has come to be recognized

Karoo Ashevak was born near the present-day community of Taloyoak. He grew up following the traditional Inuit lifestyle and beliefs. In 1968, he and his wife Doris settled in Taloyoak. At the time, stone and other carving media were scarce. Whalebone, being lighter than stone, was imported for the artists by charter plane from nearby areas of the Arctic, thus explaining Karoo's extensive use of whalebone for his sculpture.

Whalebone needs to be aged for 50 to 100 years before being used as a carving medium. Aged whalebone is collected from skeletal remains left along the shoreline by whalers during the late 19th century. If not sufficiently dried, whalebone has an unpleasant odour and may crack or shrink after the carving is completed; changes in temperature and humidity will also influence the bone's form. The texture of the bone varies from the porous interior to the more solid exterior. Over the years, its colour is affected by external forces: it may be bleached by the sun or dyed by lichens and the soil.

Ovilu Tunnillie was born in Cape Dorset and began carving seriously in 1972. She recalls when she was a child: "I didn't know I could carve, but watching my father, Toonoo, I learned... From there, I began to learn to carve, always noticing the beauty and shapes of the rock."1 Touched personally by the profound cultural and social transformations of the Inuit through contact with the South, Tunnillie's work sensitively deals with difficult topics such as domestic violence and substance abuse. Notably, Tunnillie is among the first Inuit artists to explore the female nude in her sculptures. In addition to innovative and controversial subject matter, Tunnillie uses new materials to express her ideas, such as quartz crystal and white marble. When these media are combined with the dark green serpentine stone from the Cape Dorset area, the results are captivating

Kiawak Ashoona was born at Tariugajak camp on Baffin Island. He lives today in Cape Dorset. Kiawak comes from a family of prominent Cape Dorset artists; his mother, Pitseolak Ashoona, and his sister, Napatchie Pootoogook, are noted graphic artists, while his brothers, Koomwartok and Qaqaq Ashoona, are both successful sculptors. Although Kiawak is a devout Christian, traditional Inuit mythology and legends have influenced his art since the 1960s, when depictions of spiritual creatures became popular in the South.

Cape Dorset sculptors often use serpentine, a highly polished, heavily veined and beautifully coloured stone that ranges from light green to deep green-brown. The stone is quarried near the community. Serpentine, although attractive, is a hard, brittle medium with which to work; however, Cape Dorset artists have mastered this challenging material, creating impressive works of art that push the stone to its limits.

Osuitok Ipeelee was born at Neeouleeutalik camp, near Cape Dorset. He grew up "on the land," living the traditional Inuit way of life. The expression "on the land" is derived from the Inuktitut word nunamili, which refers to the seasonal migration of the Inuit when they lived in skin tents in summer and in snowhouses in winter. Living "on the land" also implies that the Inuit took what they needed from nature to survive: animals for food, their skins for shelter, and clothing, and stone for tools and cooking pots.

Osuitok learned to carve by watching his father, Ohotok. He sold his first piece in the 1940s, a miniature ivory fox-trap with moving parts. Osuitok's favourite subject is animals, especially birds, caribou, and polar bears. He also commemorates women and their activities, camp scenes, and shamans. Transformations, the ability of animals to change into humans, and humans into animals, have also inspired Osuitok.

Working primarily with stone, Osuitok often incorporates other media, staying true to the material's origins, using antler for caribou antlers and ivory for walrus tusks. The graceful, delicate rendering, and the careful, often precarious sense of balance of Osuitok's sculptures are characteristic of his style. Osuitok believes carving success comes from accomplishing ideas: "When you're a carver, if you get your ideas of what you're going to make, you have to follow each step by looking at your imagination."

Matiusi Iyaituk was born in a hunting camp not far from Cape Smith (now called Akulivik). He moved with his family to Ivujivik in 1955. Iyaituk attended various schools in the North and in the South. In Montreal, he received police training, and became a policeman in Ivujivik. After receiving a Canada Council grant, he resigned from the force in 1984 to devote his time to carving and hunting.

His early sculptures, dating from the 1960s, were heavily influenced by the work of his older brother, Nutaraaluk. In the late 1970s, Iyaituk developed his own "abstract" carving style, blending traditional subjects and techniques with innovative modern ones. He is noted for reviving the old community style of using ivory, bone, and antler inlay with dark soapstone, and drilling small dots to represent parka trim.

Charlie Inukpuk, son of carver Johnny Inukpuk Sr., was born at Kotak, 72 km north of Inukjuak. He currently resides in Inukjuak. Initially, Inukpuk carved animals, but he is now mostly recognized for his sculptures of mother and child themes. He tends to create large, exaggerated hands in these works, to show the importance of a mother's nurturing.