signed along left side
18 × 24 in (45.7 × 61.0 cm)
(including Buyer's Premium)
Collection of the Artist
Tane Art Gallery, Concord, Ontario
Wellington Art Gallery, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Floyd Kuptana was born in Cape Perry, Northwest Territories in 1964. He later moved with his family to Paulatuk. Kuptana began his career by helping cousins Abraham Anghik Ruben and David Ruben Piqtoukun sand and polish their carvings. Later he became a prolific soap stone carver in his own right. In 1996, he moved to Toronto and around 2010, he expanded his artistic repertoire by exploring painting and collage. His early works were inspired by Inuit mythology and shamanic tales. These works are highly textured and vibrant, showcasing his transition from three-dimensional carvings to two-dimensional canvases. Kuptana's art was influenced by both his Inuit background and by Western art. Kuptana passed away in 2021. His paintings and sculptures are now found in prestigious private collections in Canada, the US, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Source: “Floyd Kuptana: Pulling Inuit Art out of an Old Cliché”, Inuit Art Quarterly, 2008
