Additional Images

Provenance:

Private Collection, Toronto, ON, acquired directly from the artist

Note:

A closely related artwork to The Birth of Knowledge is in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Sarick Collection, Shaman’s Trip to the Moon (1996). Lera Kotsyuba describes the artwork as creating “a hybrid narrative by bridging the story of a shaman’s transformation into a bird with the idea of travelling through the Internet. The work, which incorporates a carved bird within the plastic shell of a desktop computer, acknowledges digital technology’s ability to create new pathways, while centring foundational Inuit knowledge.” (1)

It is possible to read both Shaman’s Trip to the Moon and The Birth of Knowledge as a continued exploration of the artist’s feelings about the role of the computer in Inuit society. In Birth, it is the machine which has become the shaman, an impression complete with the traditional mask. In shamanism, the mask was central to the performance of ritual, and allowed its wearer to assume a new persona. It was the mask which symbolised the shaman's ability to transform while also allowing him to symbolically distance himself from his community. Birth can be read as equal parts wry and foreboding, as Piqtoukun grapples with the traditional role of shaman within a new technological context.

1. Kotsyuba, Lera. “David Ruben Piqtoukun.” Galleries West. March 27, 2023. https://www.gallerieswest.ca/magazine/stories/david-ruben-piqtoukun/.

David Ruben Piqtoukun is a celebrated Inuvialuk sculptor working primarily in stone and metal. He was born in Paulatuk, NWT, in what is now the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Piqtoukun began learning Inuit stories in 1975, his wealth of traditional knowledge forms the foundation of his distinctive style. Shamanistic masks, journeys and transformation, as well as scenes of Arctic life and animals, are themes found throughout his work.

David had his first solo exhibition in 1973 at Arctic Arts Limited. Other significant exhibitions have included a 1996 showing with the Winnipeg Art Gallery titled Between Two Worlds: Sculpture by David Ruben Piqtoukun. His work was also featured in the 1986 Expo in Vancouver, BC at the Northwest Territories Pavilion, and in dozens of group exhibitions since the 1970s, in places such as France, Italy, Germany, Japan and more. In 2022, his leadership in the art world was recognized with a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts. In 2023 his work was the subject of an important solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario.