Artist Info
Malaya Akulukjuk
Malaya Akulukjuk was a talented sculptor and graphic artist from Pangnirtung (Panniqtuuq), NU. Born in 1915 in Qikiqtat Camp, Akulukjuk lived a traditional Inuit life in her youth and married, Nutaralaq Akulukjuk, a sculptor, before settling in Pangnirtung in 1962. Around the same time, she learned how to sculpt and worked with stone, antler, and whalebone. Akulukjuk is known as the artist who best symbolizes the evolution of the Panniqtuuq tapestries: she was extremely involved in the Pangnirtung Weave Shop from the very beginning and her drawings have strongly influenced the weavers and their subject matter.
Given the status of shaman, Akulukjuk was well-respected in her community. Although Akulukjuk began her artistic pursuits with sculpture, she is better known for her drawings, many of which were printed in 1975. Akulukjuk struggled with poor eyesight in her adult life, however, she continued to draw with the help of a magnifying glass. Akulukjuk communicated concepts of Inuit spirituality and shamanism through her drawings of anthropomorphic figures. Many of these works were created into tapestries and influenced future generations of artists. Akulukjuk was the mother of thirteen children and within her own family, her sons Jeetaloo Akulukjuk (sculptor and graphic artist), Geeshee Akulukjuk (sculptor), Juelee Akulukjuk (sculptor), Enukee (Enookie) Akulukjuk (sculptor and graphic artist) and Moar (sculptor), and her daughter, May Lonsdale (graphic artist), became artists.
Akulukjuk’s works have been exhibited across Canada and internationally. In 1974, Akulukjuk won a Design Award for a tapestry created from one of her drawings. In 1995, to honour her lifetime of achievements, the Pangnirtung Tapestry Studio created a collection of tapestries that depicted Akulukjuk’s final drawings. Her works have not yet been exhibited at the ULAG.
