Inuk Ink at Nordic Lab

Project Spotlight: An upcoming event series highlights the reclamation of Inuit tattooing practices.

Circumpolar Collaboration Representation Possible Futures
Headshot of Aedan Corey.

Coming in the Spring of 2022, Inuk Ink is an initiative out of the Nordic Lab at SAW Gallery in Ottawa. Nordic Lab director Taqralik Partridge is a performance artist, visual artist, and writer from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. As a member of the Inuit Leadership Group at Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership, Taqralik has been mentoring Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuk Aedan Corey in their position as a Project Coordinator for Inuk Ink.

Headshot of Taqralik Partridge.
Taqralik Partridge. PHOTO: DEAN TOMLINSON © ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO.

 

 

Originally imagined as an in-person Inuit tattoo gathering, the programming has had to adapt to comply with shifting public health regulations. Inuk Ink is a three-part webinar series focusing on specific topics relating to Inuit tattoos. These online discussions will take place every two weeks beginning on April 13, 2022, with the hopes of hosting an in-person tattooing gathering later this year. The first event will focus on the reclamation of Inuit tattooing in Nunavut and beyond. Speakers at the second event will discuss their current experiences and future aspirations for the practice of tattooing, as well as some of the challenges the practice can present to the artist. The final conversation will examine tattooing’s impacts on Inuit and Inuit communities. Aedan will be the moderator for each conversation in the Inuk Ink series. 

Headshot of Aedan Corey.
Aedan Corey. PHOTO COURTESTY AEDAN COREY.

In addition to their studies in Indigenous Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Carleton University, Aedan is also writer and artist, specializing in digital art and traditional Inuit tattooing. Although Aedan has so far been working on the project from home, they will be able to use the studio and workshop spaces at Nordic Lab soon, and are excited to learn from other Inuit. 

As plans are still in the works, more details about Inuk Ink will be shared as we near the beginning of the series, so be sure to follow SAW Gallery on facebook and instagram for the latest updates.

Contributor Biography: 

Michelle Sones is a white settler graduate student born and raised in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal. She completed her BFA in Art History at Concordia University in 2019, where she continues to study in the MA program under the supervision of Dr. Heather Igloliorte. Her MA research on institutions and Indigenous artist-run spaces is supported through the SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship for 2019-2020, and the FRQSC Bourse Maîtrise en recherche for 2020-2021. Michelle is the Online Content Editor for Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership: The Pilimmaksarniq/Pijariuqsarniq Project.

This story is part of the Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership: The Pilimmaksarniq/Pijariuqsarniq Project Spotlight. View more content from the Spotlight here.