Bringing Nunavut stories to life, in a big way
“I don’t know, the world is weird. Why can’t it be that weird?” That’s Inuk artist Joshua Qaumariaq describing the vision behind his latest artwork ‘Nanurluk Shapeshifter’, a stunning digital art piece that will grace the cover of the 2025 Northwestel Directory in Nunavut.
At the heart of Joshua’s digital art piece is a larger-than-life presence that blends the physical and spiritual worlds. It’s a theme that Joshua draws from his Inuit heritage and the stories of things buried in Nunavut’s vast landscapes. In traditional Inuit stories, "nanurluk" an Inuktitut word, refers to a massive polar bear with ice-covered fur.
“There are so many stories about hidden things in the land that people talk about, some are creepy, and some are real sounding. With the large amount of land we have in Nunavut, how can you not believe it? I often imagine how things like that could be true in the world, especially ideas like shape-shifting and those kinds of things."
Nanurluk (giant polar bear) shapeshifter. Digital media - 11 x 8.5 inches
Stories passed on through generations
Growing up in Iqaluit, Joshua was surrounded by stories of Nunavut’s endless land, but also creative expressions that still shape his artistic vision today.
“I was always drawing and doodling. My grandpa and my uncles were carving all the time. I played drums in our house and my mom listened to loud music whenever she sewed. There was so much inspiration in just being out with my grandpa—hunting, camping, and being on the land."
Joshua’s imagination ran wild with the stories he heard from family and friends, and he was inspired to show representations of what these stories could look like. The artwork cover tells the story passed on by his grandparents of a giant polar bear shapeshifter. “Our [Inuit] stories are pretty much still told by voice, with only a few publishers having shared them in writing.”
A true multimedia artist
Joshua not only excels at digital artwork—leaning on tools like Photoshop to bring his ideas to life—but he also came into his own as a painter during the pandemic. He is making a name for himself as a musician as well. He proudly performs across the Arctic with his band, The Trade-Offs, who feature an Arctic soul sound. He has performed in musical plays. He has even recorded a song for the hit new TV show North of North.
For Joshua, art and music come from a flow state. “If I start doing art, I’ll just keep going until my mind is satisfied. I guess it’s the same with writing songs -I just start doing it and I’ll just, you know, be happy, and then it’s been three hours!”
“That’s what I love to do and hopefully I can get to do that for the rest of my life. That’d be cool.”
Joshua performing at the 2023 Alianait Festival, Aajuik circumpolar collaboration event.
Photo by Vincent Desrosiers
The sky's the limit
Northwestel has long championed Northern artists through initiatives like the Northwestel Directory Art Contest. For the past 46 years, the company has provided a platform for artists like Joshua to share their work with a broader audience. Having your art chosen for the directory cover also comes with a $5000 prize.
For Joshua, having his artwork featured in the directory was an exciting opportunity. “I was getting on a plane to Greenland when I heard, so I was like just in the clouds, you know? I was just getting ready to go on a flight to go perform and then I got a call, and I was like WOW! Yeah! Sick! Some great news, yeah.”
Thinking about submitting your artwork for next year's Directory Art Contest? Visit our Directory Art page and keep an eye out for the 2026 contest, opening in September.
