Papiara Tukiki was born on Christmas Day in 1942. She spent her formative years living on the land before eventually settling in Kinngait. These early years of her life are often depicted in her playful and whimsical depictions of Arctic plant and animal life. 

Her figures are often aesthetically designed to appear on flat surfaces with recurring patterns. These simplistic forms and a commitment to engaging with the land allow Tukiki’s work to stand out and showcase her personal style. 

In 1977, the Department of Indian and Northern Development hosted a competition titled “Things That Make us Beautiful” in which Tukiki won an Award of Excellence for her original design. Her work has been collected by many institutions including the National Gallery of Canada and the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. She has also exhibited her work, including a solo exhibition in Toronto in 2012. 

Exhibitions

• Baffin Images, Orca Aart
• Debut - Cape Dorset Jewellery, Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
• Inuit Survival, Enook Galleries, Waterloo, Ontario Presented at the University of Waterloo Art Gallery
• Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings, McMichael Canadian Collection
• Taste Of The Wild, Orca Aart
• The Hand: Images in Inuit Sculpture, The Isaacs/Innuit Gallery
• The Things That Make Us Beautiful/Nos Parures, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

Collections

• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull