Sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun found inspiration in Inuit myths and his own early trauma
Inuvialuit sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun, who drew inspiration from Inuit myths and his experiences in the residential school system, passed away from cancer at the age of 75 in Belleville, Ontario. His artwork, often rooted in traditional storytelling and personal trauma, became a significant contribution to Indigenous art in Canada. Born in a tent near Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, he was separated from his family as a child and later found purpose and healing through stone carving.
- ▪David Ruben Piqtoukun was born in a canvas tent near Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, as one of 17 children in a nomadic Inuvialuit family.
- ▪He was forcibly taken to a residential school at age five, an experience he described as 'the abduction' and which deeply influenced his art.
- ▪Piqtoukun began carving in the 1970s in Vancouver, encouraged by his brother, artist Abraham Anghik Ruben.
- ▪He credited doctor and art collector Allan Gonor with encouraging him to record traditional Inuit stories for inspiration in his sculptures.
- ▪His 1984 work 'Shaman Returning from the Moon' was based on a story told by his father and is held at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
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Open this photo in gallery:Inuvialuk sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun sits in front of his piece entitled 'Thar She Blows!' at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto in January, 2023.Chris Young/The Canadian PressShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountDavid Ruben Piqtoukun once attributed his existence to the trial-and-error survival skills that he learned growing up in the western Arctic. But it was carving that rescued him at his lowest point in adult life and it was sculpture inspired by traditional storytelling that shaped his career as an Inuvialuit artist living in Southern Ontario. He could have said he owed his existence to art. The sculptor, who used the Inuvialuit name Piqtoukun, died from cancer Jan.
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