Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Presents Inuvialuit Sculptor Abraham Anghik Ruben
Yellowknife (April 21, 2015) – The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) is pleased to present the opening of a new exhibition of sculptures by Paulatuk-born artist, Abraham Anghik Ruben. The exhibition, Aurora Borealis, opens April 30, 2015 and will run through April 30, 2016. Thirty soapstone and bronze sculptures will occupy the museums’ feature gallery, including works from private collections as well as from the PWNHC’s permanent collection.
This exhibition follows a tour at The Rockwell in Corning, New York in 2014 and the Smithsonian’s prestigious National Museum of the American Indian in 2012.
The art of Inuvialuit artist Abraham Anghik Ruben (b. 1951) portrays journeys of exploration, migration, and displacement through voyages across time and place, and into the spiritual realm. In these recent sculptures, Ruben contrasts the ancient lives of two northern peoples-Norse adventurers and Inuvialuit whale hunters-guiding us to a new perspective on the complex history of the Arctic; a history shaped by movement, contact, and change. Working in stone, whalebone and ivory, Ruben creates sculptures that speak to “ancient voices from a time when these two northern peoples held a reverence for the land and for all living things therein.”
Born in a camp near Paulatuk, Ruben spent his early childhood traveling with his family across vast expanses of land and sea, hunting caribou, polar bear, musk-oxen and beluga whales, and “living to the ancient rhythms of life passed down through the generations.”
The public is invited to the official opening of Aurora Borealis on Thursday, April 30th, 7pm at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Inuvialuit drummers and dancers will open the evening with a performance after which Abraham Anghik Ruben will give a brief artist talk. Refreshments will be served by the Museum Café.
For information on the exhibit, visit www.pwnhc.ca/
Media inquiries:
Tami Johnson
Communications Specialist
Department of Education, Culture and Employment
P. 920-6147
E. tami_johnson@gov.nt.ca
