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TOONOO SHARKY (SOROSEELKTOO) Born: June 5, 1970 Male E7-2729
Resides: Cape Dorset
Sculpture
Toonoo is the son of the late carver Josephee Sharky and Ragee Killiktee, who
carves once in a while. "My younger brothers, Napachie and Alasua are also
carving", says Toonoo. He lives with Mary Saila, and they have an adopted
child.
"I was influenced by my grandfather Kopapik Ragee, and also by Shorty
Killiktee. The first carving I did was at the age of ten. I think it was a
bird or a seal." Toonoo has been carving ever since and it has been his only
source of income. He likes to carve in serpentine and marble. "I like the
colours and also the textures of both stones. When I'm starting on a piece of
stone, I like to slowly work on the piece until the shape starts forming into
a shape I can recognize. Sometimes I just go by the shape of the stone. My
favourite subjects are bird figures with human faces."
Toonoo's favourite pastimes are carving, hunting, watching television and
spending time with his family. He would also like put together a collection
of his carvings in the near future for his own solo exhibition.
from an interview with the
Inuit Art Section Nov. 1994.
EXHIBITIONS: May - June 1987 [Inuit Art Exhibition]
Whitby Arts Incorporated,
The Station Gallery
Whitby, Ontario
February 1989 Arctic Images: Major Sculptures by Canada's
Leading Contemporary Eskimo (Inuit) Artists
at D/Erlien Fine Art Limited
presented by Orca Aart, Chicago
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
May 1989 Birds: Sculpture from Cape Dorset
& Rock Ptarmigan Limited Edition
Print by Kananginak
The Guild Shop
Toronto, Ontario
August 1989 Art Inuit, la Sculpture des Esquimaux
du Canada
Presented by l'Iglou Art Esquimau, Douai
at Chapelle de la Visitation,
Thonon
France
October - Dec 1989 Baffin Images
Orca Aart
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
January 1990 Art Inuit, la Sculpture des Esquimaux du Canada
Presented by l'Iglou Art Esquimau, Douai
at Centre d'Action Culturelle du Bassin
Houllier, Lorrain, Saint Avold
France
March 1990 Art Inuit, l'Art des Esquimaux du Canada
Presented by l'Iglou Art Esquimau, Douai
at Maison Falleur, Cambrai
France
April 1990 Art Inuit
Presented by l'Iglou Art Esquimau, Douai
at Palais de l'Europe
Le Touquet, France
June - July 1990 Small Sculptures from across the
Canadian Arctic
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
December 1990 New Miniature Sculpture
Gallery Phillip
Don Mills, Ontario
February 1991 Animals of the Arctic
Arctic Inuit Art
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
April - May 1991 Inuit Master Carvers
Snow Goose Associates
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
November - Dec 1991 Second Generation Cape Dorset Carvers
Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
January - March 1992 Images of Influence: Contemporary Inuit Art
Surrey Art Gallery
Surrey, British Columbia
February - August 1992 Inuit Art on the Mezzanine: New Acquisitions
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated brochure)
April - May 1992 Two Young Carvers from Cape Dorset: Toonoo Sharky
and Qiatsuq Shaa
The Isaacs/Innuit Gallery
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)
October - Nov 1992 Arctic Ice: Sculptures in Marble by the
Artists of Cape Dorset, Northwest Territories
Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
November - Dec 1992 Inuit Sculpture--New Acquisitions
Pucker Gallery
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
November - Dec 1992 Sculpture Inuit
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
March - April 1993 The Theme of Transformation in Inuit Sculpture
The Isaacs/Innuit Gallery
Toronto
June - July 1993 The Next Generation--Inuit Sculpture
Gallery Indigena
Stratford, Ontario
October - Nov 1993 Sculpture and Graphics from Cape Dorset
Art Space Gallery
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
November - Dec 1993 Sculpture Inuit et
Retrospective Pudlo Pudlat
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
November - Dec 1993 The Treasured Monument
Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)
November - Dec 1993 Inuit Sculpture
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
January 1994 Shamans and Transformations
Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California
October 1994 Sculpture of the Inuit:
Major Works by the Masters of Stone
Maslak McLeod Canadian Art
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.
November - Dec 1994 Small Sculpture by Great Artists:
The Younger Generation
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
April - June 1995 The Birds of Cape Dorset:
A collection of sculpture by
32 Cape Dorset Carvers
Albers Gallery
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
May - September 1995 Keeping Our Stories Alive:
An Exhibition of the Art and Crafts
from Dene and Inuit of Canada
Institute of American Indian Arts Museum
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)
July 1995 Sunakutagnuvalautut:
Things from the Past
Feheley Fine Art
Toronto, Ontario
October - Dec 1995 The Next Generation
Orca Aart Gallery
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
(illustrated brochure)
November - Dec 1995 Miniaturen
Inuit Galerie
Mannheim, Germany
(brochure)
March - April 1996 Major/Minor
Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
SOLO EXHIBITIONS: January - February 1992 Toonoo Sharky
Inuit Galerie
Mannheim, Germany
(illustrated catalogue)
COLLECTIONS: Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS and EVENTS: 1991 Attended Qatuujiqatgit Sanaguatit-Contemporary Carving/Sculpting Session
organized by the Inuit Artists' College at the Ottawa School of Art in
April/May.
1994 Travelled to Coral Gables, Fla. to participate in the International Festival
of Craft Arts, winning first prize for sculpture.
SELECTED REFERENCES: Institute of American Indian Arts Museum
KEEPING OUR STORIES ALIVE: An Exhibition of Art and Crafts from
Dene and Inuit of Canada. Santa Fe, N.M.: Institute of American
Native Arts Museum, 1995.
Marion Scott Gallery
ARCTIC ICE: SCULPTURES IN MARBLE BY THE ARTISTS OF CAPE DORSET,
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. Vancouver: Marion Scott Gallery, 1992.
Marion Scott Gallery
THE TREASURED MONUMENT: An Exhibition of Small-scale Inuit
Sculpture. Vancouver: Marion Scott Gallery, 1993.
Mitchell, Marybelle
SEVEN ARTISTS IN OTTAWA. Inuit Art Quarterly, 6(3) Summer 1991:
6-17.
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