KUPAPIK NINGEOCHEAK

Kupapik Ningeocheak is a stone-carver who has worked in communities across Nunavut. Born in 1970 in Salliq, Ningeocheak began carving in the mid-1990s and learned techniques from artists Alex Alikasuak and George Arluk whom he met in Winnipeg. Learning from the elder artists known for their abstract compositions, he developed his own unique, abstract carvings of figures and animals, unlike any other artist of his generation.  Ningeocheak became known for fantastic transformation scenes with part human, part animal features. He had his first solo exhibition at the Albers Gallery in San Francisco in 1997 and in 1999 was commissioned by the National Hockey League (NHL) to produce a work for the Visions of Hockey Collection. His Inuk Player was well received and became a subject often revisited by the artist.  As one of Sallit’s greatest and most respected sculptors, Kupapik’s experimentation with different subject matters have helped to establish his community as a prominent region for this style of art. Kupapik often depicts Owls, but is also known for his Shaman and Transformation figures. He works in basalt and serpentine..