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Kunuk, Zacharias

Kunuk, Zacharias

Iglulik

(b. 1957)

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Kunuk, Zacharias

(b. 1957)

Zacharias Kunuk, OC, ON, is a filmmaker, sculptor and visual artist based in Iglulik (Igloolik), NU. Kunuk has redefined filmmaking in Canada and is at the forefront of innovative broadcast technology in the North. He is perhaps best known for his debut feature film Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) (2001), the first Canadian feature film produced entirely in Inuktitut. The groundbreaking film won six Genie Awards and was ranked the number one Canadian film of all time in a 2015 poll conducted by the Toronto International Film Festival. He is a co-founder of Isuma Productions, the first independent Inuit-led film production company in Canada. In 2019, Kunuk and Isuma Productions represented Canada at the 58th Venice Biennale with their film One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk (2019).

Kunuk, Zacharias

Artist biographies provided with permission by the Inuit Art Foundation. All rights reserved.

Woman Scraping Skin

1991
stone
13.5 x 25.7 x 14.8 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Acquired with funds from The Winnipeg Foundation
G-91-3

  • Woman Scraping Skin

    About

    Woman Scraping Skin

    Woman Scraping Skin

    After skinning a seal, the fat and fascia must be removed. This is done with the crescent-shaped ulu, or woman’s knife, or a long, sharp scraper. In this sculpture, the skin is placed on a scraping board, hair down, and held under the knees or in the hand. The blade is constantly sharpened to prevent it from nicking the skin. After scraping, the skin is washed to remove excess oil that causes the skin to turn yellow. Today, the artist is well-known for directing films such as the internationally acclaimed Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner (2002) filmed near his home in Igloolik.


  • NFB, Making Kamiks

    Video Story

    NFB, Making Kamiks

    NFB, Making Kamiks


  • NFB, I am But a Little Woman

    Video Story

    NFB, I am But a Little Woman

    NFB, I am But a Little Woman


  • Woman Scraping Skin

    Additional View

    Woman Scraping Skin

    Woman Scraping Skin