Pitseolak Qimirpik (b. 1986) belongs to a long lineage of artists associated with the West Baffin Cooperative, particularly his father – master sculptor Kellypalik Qimirpik, whom he apprenticed under and considers a major role model.  Pitseolak’s work is emblematic of a striking generational shift at the Co-op among other younger rising stars including Ningekuluk Teevee, Ooloosie Saila and Padloo Samayualie, all of whom are committed to experimentation, humour and formal inventiveness in order to create incredibly original graphic and sculptural works.  Whenever I visit the Dorset showroom, I’m always impressed by the range of beautiful sculptures and lovely drawings but I don’t often experience the feeling of true discovery.  By that I mean the way I felt when I first saw the work of Shuvinai Ashoona or the carvings of Mattisui Iyaituk -the feeling of experiencing something new, vital and different.  That excitement washed over me when I first encountered Pitseolak’s work on my most recent visit –  here is an artist working in both drawing and sculpture in a way that is breathtakingly modern.  Pitseolak’s major theme is shamanic transformation and while many Inuit artists explore this profound process in their work, Pitseolak does so in a way that I have never seen before.  

Gallery Gevik is thrilled to present the following selection of drawings and sculptures by Pitseolak Quimipik, and I do hope you’ll find time to stop by and enjoy his dazzling transformation drawings and innovative multimedia sculptures filled with joy and fantasy.  Pitseolak Qimirpik:  Transformation begins today and continues until April 2026. 

Pitseolak talks about drawing as being an essential part of his planning process so it is natural for him move back and forth between two dimensional and three dimensional work.  Having seen the evolution of the Cape Dorset artists first-hand, from the early black and white stonecuts to the cutting-edge work of Pitseloak’s generation, has been incredible to behold.  The wholly new and impressionist way the interprets land, sea, sky and animals feels at once utterly unique but also anchored in the recognizable – that is the hand of a true and authentic talent.  Pitseolak’s Spirit Rose Transformation, for example, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before – an ingenious use of interconnected painted antler, this piece encourages endless discovery.  Small painted faces protrude from each end, encouraging us to look at carefully from all sides so as not to miss the the joyful surprises it holds.  The artist’s use of rich, saturated colour reveals his joy of drawing but also his unique handling of the coloured pencil.  “I press very hard and I colour for a very long time,’ he says of the effect he is able to achieve – solid blocks that often look more like marker strokes than the delicate hues often associated with coloured pencils.  Working in this way with coloured pencil lets him access a range of colours he’s unable to achieve with stone, bringing another layer of joy to his forms.

Pitseolak Qimirpik’s success over the last few years has resulted in back-to-back inclusions of his work as prints in the 2023 and 2024 Cape Dorset Print releases, and several solo exhibitions across Canada as well as at The Java Project in Brooklyn, New York and currently at the Fort Gansevoort Contemporary Art Gallery in the Meatkpacking District of Manhattan, on until April 4, 2026.  In 2024, Pitseolak’s work was featured at the Gwangju Biennale, South Korea in the exhibition Home and Other Places, as part of a cross-cultural collaboration between six artists from Kinngait and three from Korea, featuring large wall murals, drawings and mixed-media installations.