Jun 13, 2023

Sculpting whale bone with David Ruben Piqtoukun

Radical Remembrance: The Sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun closes at the AGO on June 25

Installation View of David Ruben Piqtoukun

Installation view: Radical Remembrance: The Sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun, January 21 - June 25, 2023, Art Gallery of Ontario. Artworks © David Ruben Piqtoukun

The intricate sculptures of Inuvialuit sculptor David Ruben Piqtoukun ᑎᕕᑎ ᐱᑐᑯ ᕈᐱᐃᓐ continue to captivate visitors at the AGO with deeply personal storytelling and inventive use of materials. Coming to a close on June 25, the exhibition presents new artworks by Piqtoukun alongside visitor favourites from the Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection at the AGO. Using a variety of materials, including stone, metal, wood, and bone, Piqtoukun shares and preserve stories inspired by Inuit knowledge, passed down through generations.

Inside the exhibition, many large-scale sculptures draw viewers in to take a closer look. Two works that slightly mimic one another from a distance are Baby Brontosaurus (2022) and Thar She Blows! (2021). Both are recent works made from whale bone.

Installation view: Radical Remembrance: The Sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun, January 21 - June 25, 2023, Art Gallery of Ontario. Artwork: Thar She Blows!, 2021 © David Ruben Piqtoukun

Thar She Blows! (2021) takes the spotlight in the first room of the exhibition. The sculpture commands attention with its bold colour and shape. Made of whale jawbone and coated in a layer of bright blue paint, the work references a colloquial phrase that often gets shouted by whalers and onlookers as a whale breaches out of the water. It acts as a commentary on the current well-being of blue whales as they continue to face extinction because of overfishing and over-whaling, and the hope that no one will ever need to call out “Thar she blows!” for the very last time.

Piqtoukun explains in a past interview with Foyer, “This represents my concern about when a blue whale was spotted. It hasn't been seen for many years. Some people figure it's one of the last few blue whales on the planet. Thar She Blows! is just an indication that the whales were still alive at one point.”

As visitors weave through the exhibition, they will spot a similar-shaped sculpture titled Baby Brontosaurus (2022). Carving a cute face onto a blue whale rib, Piqtoukun wanted to create the look of a baby brontosaurus that has just emerged into the world and is seeing everything for the very first time. The sculpture serves as a reminder to us all that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth.

Baby Brontosaurus by David Ruben Piqtoukun

Installation view: Radical Remembrance: The Sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun, January 21 - June 25, 2023, Art Gallery of Ontario. Artwork: Baby Brontosaurus, 2022 © David Ruben Piqtoukun

In an interview with OWL Connected, when asked about using the whale bone, Piqtoukun explained, “I had it in my studio for many years. And I saw the movie Jurassic Park, and I was fascinated by the long-necked dinosaurs. So long and elegant. I thought, ‘I'd like to do that (as a sculpture).’ And this guy came up (points to the bone). This was the very last piece I did for this show.”

Curated by Wanda Nanibush, AGO Curator, Indigenous Art, Radical Remembrance: The Sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun is on view on Level 1 of the AGO in the Philip B. Lind Gallery (galleries 131-132) from January 21 to June 25, 2023.