Powerful, compelling, exquisite are but a few of the words to describe the work of master sculptor Abraham Anghik Ruben.  Stories, myths, and legends of ancient Northern cultures find new life and expression through his work. Linked by strong narratives, his sculptures speak of cultures lost and times forgotten.

Born in 1951, Anghik Ruben’s early life was spent in a nomadic lifestyle, with the daily pursuit of food and shelter, a never-ending cycle. These early years gave him the foundation of family, cultural, and spiritual ties to the Inuit way of life. This family-oriented life was severed at the age of eight when Anghik Ruben was sent to residential school. After eleven years of school, he left having lost his culture, community connection, and language.

Anghik Ruben’s quest to reconnect with his past found artistic form in 1971 when he attended the Native Arts Centre at the University of Alaska, studying under Ronald Senungetuk. Throughout the 1970s Anghik Ruben pursued the arts in the varied media of sculpture, jewelry, prints, and drawings, eventually catching the attention of art dealers across Canada.

In 1986 he moved to Salt Spring Island, BC where he continues to live and work with his family. His interest in the stories, myths, and legends of his ancestors are in many of his works, which have been exhibited and collected internationally. In recent years Anghik Ruben has started to explore other cultures and peoples, including Nordic culture. His interest in the parallel cultures of Viking Norse and Inuit have resulted in some of his most powerful works yet.