A Landmark Indigenous Circumpolar Art Exhibition Shines in Ottawa

by Yana Kirichenko
08/22/2026
Described as the world’s largest Indigenous circumpolar art exhibition ever organized, Qillaniq is still on view at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
The National Gallery of Canada holds a significant Inuit art collection and has a long history of presenting exhibitions featuring artists and works from the Canadian Arctic. (Image: Michel Rathwell / CC BY 2.0)

Qillaniq is a bright and inventive celebration of Indigenous art from across the circumpolar North. Running from June 12 to September 20, the exhibition brings together the works of 70 Indigenous artists from Inuit Nunaat, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), Sápmi, and Denendeh. Organized by an all-Indigenous international curatorial team, it reaches beyond modern geopolitical borders and brings communities from across the North into one shared space.

The power of connection

Community is central to the curatorial vision of Qillaniq. The exhibition celebrates connections that stretch across vast distances and across generations, as knowledge, traditions and creative practices are shared, carried forward and transformed. These bonds carry particular importance today, when circumpolar Indigenous peoples continue to live with the legacy of colonialism while facing rapid environmental change, industrial pressures and growing geopolitical tensions.

Community and connection across generations are at the heart of Qillaniq. (Image: Ansgar Walk / CC BY-SA 2.5)

Unapologetically bright

Despite the weight of these pressing challenges, the exhibition refuses to adopt a sombre tone. Quite the opposite. The curators emphasize an inventive, improvisational and unapologetically bright vision for Qillaniq. Its very name captures this spirit. Qillaniq (pronounced qeel-lah-NEEQ) is a word from Inuktitut, an Inuit language spoken in the Canadian Arctic, describing the shimmer of sunlight or moonlight as it reflects on water. The exhibition celebrates living cultures, creativity and the freedom to experiment and express, rather than defining the circumpolar Indigenous experience primarily through hardship.

Breaking the “museum” stereotype

The curatorial approach deliberately moves away from the stereotype of a quiet and rigid museum exhibition, allowing creativity to take many forms. More than 80 works bring together drawing, printmaking, painting, video, installation, sculpture, and performance art. For visitors, the experience also extends beyond the works on display, with a programme of guided tours, workshops, and lectures.

Qillaniq is an Inuktitut word describing sunlight or moonlight shimmering on water—a fitting image for an exhibition built around what its curators call “radical joy.” (Image: Peter Platou / Pexels)

Ultimately, at the heart of Qillaniq is the idea of moving forward together. Rooted in respect for the past and cultural continuity, its curatorial vision is firmly engaged with the realities of life today while clearly oriented towards what lies ahead. Through creativity, community and connection, the exhibition presents a vision of a collective circumpolar future.

Dr Yana Kirichenko, PolarJournal