Shania Ualena Noksana

Shania Ualena Noksana is a multidisciplinary Inuvialuk artist based in Whitehorse, NT, whose practice includes painting, drawing, sewing, beading and tattooing. Originally from Tuktuyaaqtuuq (Tuktoyaktuk), Inuvialuit Settlement Region, NT, she draws much of her inspiration from her home, Inuvialuit culture and her family. Her mother and sisters Margaret and Kanelsa Noksana, who are also artists, are particularly inspiring to her. “My mom is the one telling me how to go and bead,” says Noksana. [1] “The way I look at art you can tell she looks at it, too.”

She began painting and drawing as a child, and eventually started watching YouTube videos to expand her skills and practice. “I just love that you're able to create—you just take something that's in your head and you could make anything out of it,” Noksana says. Landscapes and wildlife are often the subjects of her paintings, which tend to feature various shades of purples and blues, creating a dream-like feel to them. Noksana works with both acrylic and watercolour paints. In her painting of beluga whales, the soft blue and white combined with the contented-looking whales gives a sense of calmness. In contrast to her painting, Noksana’s beadwork–which includes earrings and necklaces–often features vibrant colours and bold shapes. She uses delica and dead beads, sealskin and polar bear fur. In 2021 she began tattooing, inspired by her friend Arsaniq Deer, first practicing traditional Inuit tattooing and then incorporating her drawings. Though Noksana enjoys learning new art forms, painting is her favourite medium and one that she always finds herself coming back to. 

Instagram is the main platform Noksana uses to showcase her work, and she hopes to branch out in the art world to further display it. Currently she is a full-time student in the business administration program at Yukon University in Whitehorse. She also works at the Western Arctic Youth Collective and at the Yukon First Nation Culture and Tourism Association, where she works with artists to help showcase their work.  

While she continues to hone her craft, Noksana embraces imperfection in her work. “I had to learn a lot recently that it doesn’t have to be perfect . . . it’s always going to be beautiful to someone else. And I think that’s the thing I really love about [art].” In the future, Noksana hopes to work on projects that combine different mediums of art. “I want to start including different kinds of materials into my paintings.”