Beyond her line of jewellery and apparel, Ugly Fish, Tarralik Duffy is also renowned for her talent as a graphic artist. She often turns the bold, highly pigmented ink of her works into repetitions in pop art style grids, as with her iconic Klik (2015), which has been seen hanging on gallery walls as well as printed onto onesies. With Cow of the Sea (2015), Duffy once more follows a theme of food and sustenance.
Styled like a can of tuna, she imagines seal, an Inuit staple, canned and packaged in “full fat”. The piece is at once charming and a commentary on food security and access through pop culture references. A playful riff on the iconic tuna brand “Chicken of the Sea,” Cow of the Sea replaces the famous mermaid figure with a smiling seal, promising “the best natsiq”.
— Emily Henderson, Profiles Editor