Nurrahaq

Nurrahaq is a painter and illustrator from Arviat, NU. Her work, which largely focuses on the female form often includes women with animal elements and is frequently inspired by stories from Inuit legends told to her by Elders and storytellers and read in books. Nurrahaq, who comes from a creative family, notes that some of her inspiration to become an artist stemmed from relatives like muralist Charlotte Karetak and Rhoda Akpaliapik Karetak, who received a Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 from the Office of the Governor General for her drawing, painting, mixed media and sewing skills. She also finds inspiration from the burgeoning talent of young students she has taught in youth art programs.

Nurrahaq’s most recent passion is oil painting, which she only began experimenting with in 2020, and quickly fell in love with the medium. She mainly uses oil on canvas but has expressed interest in working with different materials including wood planks. She has also done several private commissions in digital formats. 

Nurrahaq attended an arts program at Algonquin College in Ottawa, ON in 2016, which was postponed due to strikes in Ontario, and returned to complete her education at Cambrian College in Sudbury, ON in 2019, until her studies were once again interrupted due to COVID-19. Nurrahaq is currently working on her art part-time and has taken advantage of the pandemic closures to work on building her skills and explore her new-found love for oil painting.

This Profile was made possible through support from RBC Emerging Artists.