BILLY MERKOSAK

Billy Merkosak, who was born in 1966, lives in the community of Pond Inlet on the northern edge of Baffin Island. His mother, Leah, encouraged Merkosak to become an artist. He draws inspiration for his evocative works from archaeological artefacts and legends and stories told by elders about the past way of life. “It gives me great pride to connect the past and the present together through modern Inuit art”, he says. Merkosak’s works are highly sought after by visitors to Pond Inlet an can be
found in a number of private, corporate and public collections. He has attended the Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik on three occasions. For the 1998 Arctic Winter Games he was commissioned to create a sculpture entitled “Spirit of Pre-Dorset”,
using a 100 year old bowhead whale skull, in collaboration with the artists Derrald Taylor of Tuktoyaktuk and Robert Kussy of Yellowknife.
Over the years, Merkosak has held a number of jobs which draw upon his diverse range of skills and interests, including positions as Nunavut Social Development Counsellor on suicide prevention on Baffin Island and as Native Special Constable for the RCMP.

Although he is perhaps best known for his whale bone carvings, Merkosak creates sculptural works in a wide range of media, including ivory, carvingstone and wood. A highly versatile artist, he also enjoys painting in watercolour, making prints
and creating drums. He also is one of the few Nunavummiut artists who carve masks. His strong interest in masks and prehistoric Inuit culture is due, in part, to his friendship with Robert McGhee, curator of arctic archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. During visits to the High Arctic, McGhee has discovered ancient life-sized wooden masks, identified as belonging to the Palaeoeskimo Dorset culture. Merkosak channels the timeless qualities inherent in these and other artefacts in his own signature masks. Dotted lines on the cheeks and chin signify facial tattoos, while the narrow slits for eyes and mouths give an eerily inhuman appearance. Merkosak’s minimalist approach lets the textural qualities of the materials speak for themselves.