Page 17 - The Soul of East and West September 19 – 30, 2022 ARTA Gallery

Bear Man with Drum, 2020. Bronze 212, patina, 23.5”x20”x14”

DAVID RUBEN PIQTOUKUN

David Ruben Piqtoukun is an Inuit artist from Paulatuk, Northwest Territories. Since the early 1970’s, Piqtoukun
has consistently retained the most important element in his work by focusing on his Inuit heritage. He started
compiling ancestral stories, creating an oral history for himself. It served as a source for his work and a way to
re-establish his roots and identity. His visual storytelling incorporates diverse materials of various stones, bone,
wood and, occasionally, feathers. His material and imagery bring together modern and traditional Inuit stylistic
elements in a personal vision.
He was appointed to the UNESCO’s Canadian Committee for the UNESCO's World Decade for Cultural
Development. His work is included in public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Art
Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg;] the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the
Staatliche Museum für Völkerkunde, Munich, Germany. He was also recognized with the 2022 Governor General’s
Award in Visual and Media Arts.

“I began my creative endeavours in 1972 and have been very much inspired by mythology (Inuit and world cultures). I
combine old mythological themes and traditions into present day interpretations of my imagination. Over the course
of time, the stone speaks. I don’t attack it. I live with it. When I start carving, it is like opening the pages of a book. New
ideas come, and the carving slowly emerges, from one page to another, to formulate a whole story, a recollection.” -
David Ruben

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