Nunatsiavut
(1914–1976)
(1914–1976)
Gabriel Isaac Suarak (1912-D) was a sculptor from Nain, Nunatsiavut, NL. He is known to have sculpted in stone, but very little of his work is held in public collections. This is potentially because Nunatsiavut artists took much longer to be recognized than other Inuit artists, and had particular difficulty accessing stone.
Little is known about Suarak’s life except that he delivered mail from Nain to Hebron, NL, via dogsled in the 1950s, for which he was paid $15 a month. His work is on display at INUA, the inaugural exhibition of Qaumajuq at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Manitoba in 2021-2022.
About
This sculpture depicts the aftermath of the spring seal hunt. While there is only one figure portrayed with the seals, this hunt would have been conducted by the community to produce enough food for everyone to share. Suarak was interested in depicting the community experience. He rarely carved shamanic subjects, but instead chose to portray everyday life.
