Born in 1980 (Iqaluit, Nunavut) – Died in 2020

Adam Alorut was a sculptor based in Ottawa who was known for the intricate details on his carvings. Alorut learned carving from his father, the celebrated sculptor Morris Alorut. Despite his young age , Alorut has been carving for years, in fact, his early participation involved polishing stone for his father, before graduating into creating his own original pieces. Although sculpture remained the mainstay of his artistic practise, Alorut eventually branched out to other areas like jewellery.

Thematically much of Alorut’s work, particularly later in his career, focuses on the concept of good and evil. While he did pay homage to his homelands and culture, Alorut frequently depicted mythical dragons and demonic-like figures, a definite departure from convention. Many attribute this choice of subject matter to the stories Alorut encountered as a result of living the majority of his adult life in the South. He is also known to emphasize detail in his work; individually defined fish scales, long eyelashes and provides an example of the growth and development in contemporary Inuit art.
In 2007, Alorut’s sculpture Shaman Transformation was acquired by the Canada Council Art Bank, and in 2008 the Canada Council of the Arts named him the Inuit Carver of the Year.

The National Gallery of Canada bought one of Alorut’s most significant works, Spiritual Warfare (2010), for their permanent collection in 2011. Alorut was one of five artists, alongside Maudie Okittuq, chosen to participate in the Usuaq Carving Project, a collaboration between the Walrus Foundation and TD Bank. His resulting piece, a two-foot long ushuk carving called The Fight Between Good and Evil (2017).