OTTOWA.- Nick Sikkuark: Humour and Horror is now opening! This is the first retrospective of this extraordinary artist, spanning 40-plus years of his career. Born in the present-day Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, Sikkuark was quietly successful, creating highly imaginative sculptures, drawings and paintings, all the while flourishing as an outlier within different art worlds.

Sikkuark’s creations are characterized by a harmonious blending of seemingly opposing elements – naturalism and imagination, the everyday and the bizarre, miniaturization and amplification, and most essentially, humour and horror. A fascinating part of his art is that we can discover the same creatures, story elements and iconography throughout, leaving us with a sense of wonder as to where they will turn up next.

As an unconventional Inuk artist, Sikkuark gained a dedicated following, but his art is not as widely appreciated as it deserves. Showcasing more than 100 works, this exhibition celebrates the remarkable and timeless art of this influential leader, who contributed to his community and the art world at large.

Comprising works from antiquity to the present day, the National Gallery of Canada has one of the finest collections of Indigenous and Canadian art in the world, as well as masterworks from numerous other artistic traditions.

In addition to showcasing works of art, the Gallery preserves, studies and shares works in every conceivable medium, including photography, sculpture, painting, installation and the decorative arts. It does this through conventional means such as exhibitions and publications, as well as through its website, social media channels and other forms of international outreach.

National Gallery of Canada
Nick Sikkuark: Humour and Horror
November 17th, 2023 - March 24th, 2023