Pitseolak Qimirpik

Pitseolak Qimirpik is a Kinngait (Cape Dorset) – based carver. Qimirpik learned to carve by observing and assisting his father, renowned carver Kellypalik Qimirpik (1948-2017). Qimirpik’s uncle Allashua Atsiaq and cousin Noo Atsiaq are also carvers. Qimirpik began to carve when he was thirteen years old.

Qimirpik’s detailed carvings depict northern fauna, such as walruses, eagles and owls, as well as Inuit spiritual beliefs and stories. Qimirpik is noted for presenting his playful sense of humour in his artwork through his carvings of walruses that joyfully kick their flippers up and rabbits that dance to hip-hop music [1]. He frequently uses power tools to create his carvings and has also mined stone with other Kinngait artists Nuna Parr and Kovianaqtuliak Tapauangai to create his carvings [2].

He is also noted for featuring contemporary life and popular culture that blend traditional Inuit carving techniques with new technology [3]. Qimirpik’s Young Man with MP3 Player (2010) illustrates these concepts. This artwork features a young, smiling Inuk man created with polished dark green serpentine stone. Antler earphones and wires are connected to the green MP3 player that he holds. The carving highlights how Qimirpik uses materials that have traditionally been employed by Inuit carvers, but also reflects his personal experience of living in the North today. Young Man with MP3 Player also illustrates how the light colours of technology that Qimirpik features in his work, such as iPods or MP3 players, contrast with the dark, veined stone of the carving.

Qimirpik’s work has been widely exhibited at a number of national galleries, including Gallery Indigena in Stratford, ON, the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver in Vancouver, BC, and Feheley Fine Arts in Toronto, ON. His carvings have also been exhibited in the United States at the Albers Gallery of Inuit Art in San Francisco, CA and the Canadian Arctic Gallery in Basel, Switzerland. In addition, Teen with MP3 player (2010) is included in TD Bank’s collection in Toronto, ON.