mitaaqtuaqtunga (no translation provided) welcomes viewers into an intimate, vulnerable offering of Inuit knowledge sharing. Through an interview with their mother, Inuvialuk artist Kablusiak imparts an ancient story, passed down through their family over generations. This tale teaches the listener important lessons about greed and the innate connection Inuvialuit have with the natural world. Holly Nasogaluak Carpenter speaks to us in Sallirmiutun, the dialect spoken in the region Kablusiak’s family comes from, and is translated in English captions. We hear the story as it is meant to be told while still benefiting from the lessons unfolding through its telling. Enacting Indigenous traditions of gift-giving and sharing, visitors to the gallery are invited to take home a gift, a poster of aurora borealis, to remind them of the power of oral knowledge sharing. 

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Kablusiak is a multidisciplinary Inuvialuk artist and curator who uses Inuk ingenuity to create work in a variety of mediums including, but not limited to, lingerie, white flour, soapstone, permanent marker, bed sheets, felt, acrylic paint, and words. Their work explores the dis/connections between existence in Inuit diaspora while maintaining family and community ties, the impacts of colonization on Inuit gender and sexuality expressions, as well as on health and wellbeing, and the everyday.

Kablusiak holds a BFA in Drawing from the Alberta University of the Arts in Mohkinstsis, where they are currently based. In 2021, Kablusiak was part of a team of 4 Inuit curators who curated the inaugural exhibition for Qaumajuq, entitled INUA. In all of their creative work Kablusiak seeks to demystify Inuit art and create the space for Inuit-led representation of the diverse aspects of Inuit cultures.