Arsaniq Deer

Arsaniq Deer knows that art is the living embodiment of culture – and she’s making it her life’s work. Deeply rooted in an artistic family, she was inspired from a young age by depictions and legends of Inuit women. She was introduced to the practice and history of traditional Inuit tattooing while studying at Nunavik Sivunitsavut and furthered her research by studying archives at the Avataq Cultural Institute. Mentored by renowned artist Hovak Johnston, who founded the Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project, Arsaniq performed her very first tattoo on her mother, acclaimed musician Beatrice Deer, with whom she is also collaborating on a book. Playing an active role in decolonization by bringing back the pride of kakiniit and tunniit, traditional Inuit tattoos, Arsaniq has tattooed hundreds of clients since she began work in 2019. Her work carries particular importance for urban Inuit living in the south.

In addition to her tattooing skills, Arsaniq is also a talented illustrator, painter, and seamstress who speaks Inuktitut, English, and French, inspiring Inuit artists across the Arctic as well as in her home territory of Nunavik. She and her work have been featured in the CBC documentary Telling Our Story, explaining the rich cultural history of Inuit tattooing and the importance of its contemporary revitalization.