Tim Pitsiulak: Stories of What Lies Beneath

A curator and friend reflects on the unique vision and immense legacy of the late Kinngait artist in this moving personal essay. Exploratory, dense and layered, this feature mimics the rich visual language of Pitsiulak’s indelible aesthetic.

Tim Pitsiulak’s masterful drawings of the hunt have roots that run deep. They are the result of generations of knowledge of the land and lifelong experience as a hunter. They are the inheritor of Niviaksiak’s powerful silhouetted figure standing in front of a seal hole moments before a kill and Kananginak Pootoogook’s scenes that celebrate a successful walrus hunt. Pitsiulak was not the first hunter-artist, but his large-format drawings and masterful prints have solidified his legacy for generations to come.