Calgary-based Inuvialuk artist Kablusiak named winner of $100,000 Sobey Art Award
Yellowknife-born artist first made the short list for the award in 2019
A Yellowknife-born, Calgary-based Inuvialuk artist has been named the winner of the Sobey Art Award four years after being shortlisted for the honour for the first time.
The multidisciplinary artist Kablusiak, who is known professionally under only one name, was awarded the $100,000 prize at an evening gala in Ottawa hosted by the National Gallery of Canada and the Sobey Art Foundation.
Award Jury Chair Jonathan Shaughnessy describes Kablusiak’s work as “fearless and unapologetic,” adding the artist “confounds old categories” with work that explores the experiences of “being looked at without being seen.”
Kablusiak first made the short list for the award in 2019.
Four runners-up — Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, Séamus Gallagher, Anahita Norouzi and Michèle Pearson Clarke — all received $25,000 prizes.
Works by all five shortlisted artists will be part of an exhibition at the national gallery from Oct. 13 to March 3, 2024.
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