York University
Art Collection Online

Charlie Sivuararpik (1911–1968) was a sculptor, illustrator, and storyteller from Puvirnituq, Nunavik, Quebec. Mainly working in stone, Charlie is known for his attention to detail and realism in contrast with the stylized work typical of other carvers at the time. He often used soap inlays to add detail and contrast to his designs. Sulijuk, the Nunavamiut term for completeness, has often been used to describe the realistic quality of Charlie’s carvings.

Charlie was an early resident of Puvirnituq, settling in the early 1950s as the community was just being established. He had suffered from tuberculosis for a large portion of his life, making him unable to hunt to support his family. Likely influenced by James Houston’s first visits to Puvirnituq in 1948 and 1950, Charlie turned to carving to support himself and his family. Peter Murdoc, co-manager of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and Father Andre Steinmenn were also early mentors of Charlie’s.

Early in his career, Charlie primarily carved otters out of ivory, later transitioning to stone and expanding his subject matter to include human figures with expressive facial features. His carvings also captured the motion and dynamism of daily activities like hunting. As his career progressed, his sculptures grew in size and complexity of subject matter. By the late 1950s, Charlie’s carvings were rendering traditional Inuit stories in a highly detailed manner.

A well-traveled and well-documented artist, Charlie was featured in an article in Beaver Magazine in 1957 and in a photo essay published in the Canadian Geographical Journal in 1959. He also participated in marketing trips with Father Steinmann, traveling to New York, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Pittsburgh to take pre-orders and raise money for the Povungnituk Cooperative Society. In 1958, Charlie was a founding member and the first president of the Carvers Association of Puvirnituq (now the Federation of Cooperatives of Northern Quebec). Later, he was the first Inuk to become a member of the Sculptors Society of Canada. His sons Thomassie, Simiuni, and Akinsie Sivuarapik are also artists.

Charlie’s carvings have been exhibited in Canada and abroad. They can be found in the permanent collections at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery, among many others.