Victoria Mamnguqsualuk

Born near Garry Lake, Mamnguqsualuk passed a nomadic youth until her thirties, when in 1963, to avoid starvation, her family moved to Baker Lake. Mamnguqsualuk is one of noted Inuit artist Jessie Oonark's eight artistically gifted children; among her siblings are the artists Nancy Pukingrnak, Josiah Nuilaalik, Janet Kigusiuq, Mary Yuusipik Singaqti, Miriam Nanurluk, and William Noah. Her husband, Samson Kayuryuk, and son, Paul Aglakuaq Kayuryuk, are also artists.

She is best known for her silkscreen and stencil, prints, but has worked in sculpture, drawings, and fabrics as well. Mamnguqsualuk's bold depictions of Inuit myth have been widely praised.Like her mother, she moves easily between the realms of graphic arts and textiles. Eight of her prints were part of the first print edition from Baker Lake, in 1970, and her pieces have appeared in many collections since then. Her work is informed by some of the stylistic tropes of European art. She has exhibited in many shows around Canada, and her art may be found in the collections of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, the McMichaels Canadian Collection, and the Glenbow Museum. In her painting Shaman Caribou, Mamnguqsualuk has created a complex composition that illustrates many aspects of the Inuit Shaman’s world.