Eli Sallualuk Qinuajua

Biography

Eli Sallualuk Qinuajua (1937–2004) was a sculptor from Isisuivik, a small camp south of Puvirnituq, Nunavik, QC. Qinuajua created works that are both subtle and dynamic, with the final pieces he produced out of stone forming abstracted and surreal sculptures. Qinuajua’s works alternate between highly polished surfaces and more roughly etched stone, providing each work with a sense of energy and movement compounded by the artist’s use of tangled limbs and tentacle-like shapes.

Qinuajua's sculptures have been displayed with acclaim in exhibitions and collections worldwide. He had a solo exhibition in the former Inuit Gallery of Eskimo Art in Toronto, ON, in the fall of 1985, which generated a heightened visibility for his work [1]. The latest exhibition to include Qinuajua’s work was Inuit Fantastic Art held at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba in 2014. The show was inspired by the 1967 Puvirnituq sculpture competition that the artist won, and even included his original winning piece Spirit (1968).

Qinuajua’s works are a part of the public collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, ON, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba. He has exhibited his sculptures nationally and internationally in countries such as Japan and Germany.



This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Eli Sallualuk Qinuajua était un sculpteur d’œuvres fantastiques et surréalistes. Ses sculptures alternent entre des surfaces très polies et des pierres plus grossièrement gravées, donnant à chaque pièce une sensation d’énergie et de mouvement exacerbée par des membres enchevêtrés et des formes ressemblant à des tentacules. Après avoir remporté le premier prix d’un concours de sculpture local en 1967, Qinuajua a gagné un large public ce qui a effectivement marqué le début de sa carrière d’artiste commercial. Depuis, ses œuvres ont été exposées à l’échelle internationale, notamment au Japon et en Allemagne, et font partie de nombreuses collections privées et publiques, dont celles du Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario (Toronto) et du Musée d’anthropologie de Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique).
ᐄᓓ ᓴᓪᓗᐊᓗᒃ ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᑎᐅᓚᐅᔪᕗᖅ ᐊᔪᒉᑦᑐᖑᐊᓕᐅᕐᐸᓱᓂ. ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᑉ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᐊᖏᑦ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᔪᕙᖏᑦ ᕿᓪᓕᓴᕐᓯᒪᕕᖕᖓᑐᑦ ᐃᓚᖏᓪᓗ ᒪᓂᕋᑦᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᖏᑦᑐᑦ, ᐊᑐᓂᑦ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᓄᑭᖃᑦᓯᐊᑐᑦ ᓂᒪᕐᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᑐᓪᓗ ᓄᐃᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᓴᓇᔫᑉ ᐊᑐᕐᓱᓂ ᓴᓇᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᓲᕐᓗ ᑎᒥᖏᑕ ᑕᓕᖕᖑᐊᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᐊᕙᑎᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᓂᒐᕕᐅᑎᓯᒪᔫᔭᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᑭᔪᐊᓗᓐᓂᓗ ᑕᓕᑯᑖᓕᖕᖑᐊᓂᒃ ᓂᐅᑯᑖᓕᖕᖑᐊᓂᓪᓗ. ᓵᓚᓐᓃᒍᑎᑖᓚᐅᕐᓱᓂ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐹᒧᑦ ᓵᓚᓐᓂᒍᑎᑖᖑᓲᒥᒃ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᑐᑦ ᐱᓕᐅᑎᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ 1967-ᒥ ᕿᓐᓄᐊᔪᐊᑉ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐱᐅᒋᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᑌᑲᖕᖓᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᕕᓕᐅᑎᓂᖃᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᓂᐅᕐᕈᑎᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᓕᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᓂᖓ. ᑌᒪᖕᖓᒥᑦ, ᓴᓇᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᓱᖑᕗᑦ ᓯᓚᕐᔪᐊᒥ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᕐᔪᐊᓂ ᐃᓚᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᒃ ᔮᐸᓃᓰᓪᓗ ᔮᒪᓃᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᕐᔪᐊᖏᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᓗ ᐃᓄᓕᒫᓄᓕᖓᖕᖏᑐᓂᓗ ᐃᓄᓕᒫᓄᓕᖓᔪᓂᓗᑦ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᒪᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᕐᐸᒥᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐃᓚᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᕚᒃᑯᕕᒃ ᐊᓐᑎᐅᔨᐅᒦᑦᓱᓂ ᑐᔮᓐᑐᒦᑦᑐᖅ, ᐊᑯᓂᓂᑕᕐᓂᓗ ᑕᑯᕙᒃᑯᕕᒻᒦᒥᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᕚᓐᑰᕙ ᐳᕆᑎᔅ ᑲᓚᒻᐱᐊᒥ.

Artist Work

About Eli Sallualuk Qinuajua

Medium:

Sculpture

Artistic Community:

Puvirnituq, Nunavik, Inuit Nunangat

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

1937

Date of Death:

Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

2004

Igloo Tag Certified

The Igloo Tag Trademark is an internationally recognized symbol that denotes handmade, original artwork made by Inuit artists in Canada. Established in 1958, the Trademark is now managed by the Inuit Art Foundation. The appearance of the Igloo Tag on an artist profile means they have had the Trademark applied to their artwork.

Edit History

September 18, 2017 Created by: Caledonia Dionne Updated by: Inuit Art Foundation