Inuit artist David Ruben Piqtoukun will be at Sivertson Gallery on March 19.
Sivertson Gallery opens its 11th Annual Inuit Premiere in Grand Marais on Saturday, March 19 with world-renowned Inuit artist, David Ruben Piqtoukun. Gallery owner Jan Sivertson said, “David has first-hand experience with the dramatic social, cultural, and environmental changes that have taken place in the Arctic in the last half century.”
The opening weekend events at Sivertson Gallery are free and open to the public and the exhibit continues through the end of April. In addition, Piqtoukun will teach two workshops offered through the North House Folk School.
To escape the harsh realities of life on the Arctic tundra, at the urging of the Canadian government Inuit people began leaving their traditional nomadic lifestyles to live in communities in the 1950s. With few other economic opportunities, creating artwork was encouraged as one way for the Inuit to earn an income. Inuit artists had no access to traditional materials such as wood for sculpting or block printing. Forced to use local materials, soapstone was embraced by the innovative spirit of Canada’s indigenous people.
Master soapstone sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun, born in Paulatuk, NWT, lived the traditional migratory life with his family along the Mackenzie River Delta. At the age of 5 he was sent away to one of the infamous residential schools where he received “an education in forgetting” for the next 12 years. “I lost my language and Native Eskimo ways. Living in the south made my identity difficult to comprehend. I was lost between two worlds.”
With instruction from his brother, noted sculptor Abraham Apalark Anghik Ruben, he began to carve soapstone at the age of 22. “I began to explore my native roots, collecting stories from my travels home in Canada’s Western Arctic. I was fascinated by my own culture.”
Nearly four decades later, Ruben’s work has been featured in many group and solo exhibitions across North America and Europe. In 1988 he was named to the Sculptors Society of Canada. His work can be found in many public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, parks and public spaces around Canada, as well as at Canadian embassies around the world.
The show will feature Canadian Inuit prints and sculpture as well as work by native Alaskan Inupiat and Yupik artists. Just last week gallery staff returned from Alaska and are very excited about the walrus tusk and whalebone sculptures that they were able to find for the show.
“We found a wolf shaman figure carved in tusk by Ron Apangalook,” says Gallery Manager CJ Heithoff. “It’s spectacular; the texture of the wolf ’s fur, details of inlaid baleen, with the shaman balanced on one foot… caught mid-stride as he drumdances. Ron’s carving masterfully reveals all three layers of the tusk.”
At press time, new work for the premiere is still arriving. The show continues through the end of April.
For information on events and workshops at Sivertson’s Gallery, call (888) 880-4369 or visit www.sivertson.com. For information on workshops at North House Folk School, call (218) 387-9762.
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