7:00pm - 10:00pm
7pm | Program begins
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the extraordinary work of acclaimed Canadian artist Abraham Anghik Ruben. Organized and presented by WAG-Qaumajuq with the support of Richardson Foundation, WAG Foundation, and the Kipling Gallery, this landmark exhibition reveals a unique take and fresh perspective on the artist’s life and work.
Be among the first to explore a sweeping collection of works by visionary artist Abraham Anghik Ruben. This marks the first solo show in Qaumajuq’s flagship Qilak gallery, the largest exhibition space dedicated to Inuit art in the world. Take in the art while enjoying the cash bar and a solo violin performance by WSO Concert Master Karl Stobbe, playing live in the show. Plus, hear remarks from the guest curator, Heather Campbell, WAG-Qaumajuq Curator of Inuit Art, Darlene Coward Wight, the artist himself, Abraham Anghik Ruben, and more special guests.
WAG-Qaumajuq is an accessible space. There are gender neutral washrooms on every floor of WAG-Qaumajuq. Quiet spaces are available if needed and armless chairs are available. Click here for more accessibility information.
Lead Supporter
Presented By
Supported By
Artist & Curator
Abraham Anghik Ruben Abraham Anghik Ruben
Powerful, compelling, exquisite are but a few of the words to describe the work of master sculptor Abraham Anghik Ruben. Stories, myths, and legends of ancient Northern cultures find new life and expression through his work. Linked by strong narratives, his sculptures speak of cultures lost and times forgotten.
Born in 1951, Anghik Ruben’s early life was spent in a nomadic lifestyle, with the daily pursuit of food and shelter, a never-ending cycle. These early years gave him the foundation of family, cultural, and spiritual ties to the Inuit way of life. This family-oriented life was severed at the age of eight when Anghik Ruben was sent to residential school. After eleven years of school, he left having lost his culture, community connection, and language.
Anghik Ruben’s quest to reconnect with his past found artistic form in 1971 when he attended the Native Arts Centre at the University of Alaska, studying under Ronald Senungetuk. Throughout the 1970s Anghik Ruben pursued the arts in the varied media of sculpture, jewelry, prints, and drawings, eventually catching the attention of art dealers across Canada.
In 1986 he moved to Salt Spring Island, BC where he continues to live and work with his family. His interest in the stories, myths, and legends of his ancestors are in many of his works, which have been exhibited and collected internationally. In recent years Anghik Ruben has started to explore other cultures and peoples, including Nordic culture. His interest in the parallel cultures of Viking Norse and Inuit have resulted in some of his most powerful works yet.
Heather Campbell Heather Campbell
Heather Campbell (Inuk) is an artist and arts administrator originally from Kikiak (Rigolet), Nunatsiavut, NL currently residing in North West River, NL. Campbell holds a BFA at Wilfred Grenfell College of Fine Art at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In addition to her artistic practice, she has written for Library and Archives Canada and the Inuit Art Quarterly. Campbell is formerly curator for the Inuit Art Centre of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Curatorial Assistant at the Indigenous Art Department of the National Gallery of Canada, and Strategic Initiatives Director at Inuit Art Foundation. Campbell’s art has been in a number of group exhibitions, most recently the touring group exhibition “SakKijajuk: Inuit Fine Art and Craft from Nunatsiavut.”
Photo: Brecken Photography
Public opening entertainment by Sounds of Manitoba, sponsored by:
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