Born in 1974 (Cape Dorset, Nunavut)

Ashoona Ashoona is a promising young artist based in Cape Dorset. Born into a family of famous sculptors and artists, Ashoona learned to carve by watching and imitating her father, sculptor Koomwartok Ashoona. Ashoona also trained alongside his cousin, a well-established and recognized artist, Otookie Ashoona. Her uncles are the famous sculptors Kaka Ashoona and Kiawak Ashoona, and her grandmother is the famous graphic designer Pitseolak Ashoona.

Ashoona is recognized today as one of the most promising artists of her generation. In particular, she sculpts rather traditional subjects, in particular animals of the Arctic, which walk and dance. This artist is proud to have learned to carve in the traditional way; observing his elders.

Ashoona primarily carves marble or serpentine, a local stone found in open pit mines in Nunavut. Serpentine is a rock similar in composition to jade. Just like jade, it is a very hard stone, so it takes a lot of artistic vitality to carve it. That’s why it’s so rare to have a stone sculptor like Ashoona.