
Maureen Gruben (b. 1963, Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada) has a diverse multi-media practice which incorporates organic and industrial materials that are frequently found or salvaged, forging critical links between life in the Western Arctic and global environmental and cultural concerns. She was born and raised in Tuktoyaktuk where her parents were traditional Inuvialuk knowledge keepers and founders of E. Gruben’s Transport. Gruben holds a BFA from the University of Victoria and a Certificate in Indigenous Political Development & Leadership, En’owkin Centre, Penticton.
Past exhibitions include WAG-Qaumajuq, Winnipeg; the Women’s Gallery & Darkroom, New York; Cade Centre for Fine Arts, Baltimore; Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, University of Nevada, Los Vegas; Contemporary Native Art Biennial, Montreal; Cooper Cole; public art installations for The Bentway Skate Trail & Canoe Landing, Toronto; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. She was shortlisted for the 2023 Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award and long listed for the 2019 Aesthetica Art Prize and the 2021 Sobey Art Prize. Her work is held in public and private collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Gruben currently lives and works in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Maureen Gruben
Delta Trim
Delta Trim, 2018
Bubble wrap, reflective tape, Velcro, zip ties, moosehide
Maureen Gruben
Sila
Sila, 2022
Vintage medic vests, metallic ink
19 ft (234 in/594.4 cm)
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Maureen Gruben
Meet me at the floe edge
Meet me at the floe edge, 2023
Mitt strings, polar bear hide, mother of pearl buttons, acrylic paint
32.5 x 11.5 in (82.6 x 29.2 cm), 50 x 9 in (127 x 22.9 cm)
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Maureen Gruben
Skipping Stones And Mud Pies
Skipping Stones And Mud Pies, 2023
Clear vinyl, safety gloves, bubble wrap, leather, plastic toys, drum skin
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Maureen Gruben
What took you so long?
What took you so long?, 2023
Taxidermy foam bear head, optical fibres
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Maureen Gruben
Annivik: Assemblage 2
Annivik: Assemblage 2, 2021
Bullets (empty shells), sinew, metal ruler
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Maureen Gruben
Tapsi
Tapsi, 2021
Cable, sinew, ookpik
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Maureen Gruben
Atikluq
Atikluq, 2023
Parka cover, acrylic paint, thread
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Maureen Gruben
Polaroid
Polaroid, 2023
Packing foam, polar bear fur, suede, pearl pins
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Maureen Gruben
Mitqun
Mitqun, 2019
Inkjet print
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Maureen Gruben
The Women’s Darkroom
Nakataq (A marker to help in finding something again), 2022
Solo show at The Women’s Darkroom, Brooklyn, USA
Maureen Gruben
We all have to go someday. Do the best you can. Love one another.
We all have to go someday. Do the best you can. Love one another, 2019
Deerhide, embroidery thread, metallic thread, steel grommets and rivets, aluminum frame
Maureen Gruben
Waiting For The Shaman
Waiting For The Shaman, 2017
Bones from polar bear paws, resin
Maureen Gruben
This Is Not A Hudson’s Bay Blanket
This Is Not A Hudson's Bay Blanket, 2015
Moosehide blanket on aluminum plinth
Maureen Gruben
Survival
Survival, 2018
Sealskin, beads, deer hide, ribbon, and metal clasps on canvas
Maureen Gruben
Superseded
Superseded, 2020
Tin claim plates, soldering wire, copper and steel nails, plywood
Maureen Gruben
Stitching My Landscape
Stitching My Landscape, 2017
Archival inkjet print on Epson Hot Press Bright
Edition of 3
Maureen Gruben
Message
Message, 2015
Polar bear guard hairs, cotton thread, black interface
Maureen Gruben
Guardian
Guardian, 2017
Polar bear guard hairs, clear vinyl, ricrac, bias tape
Maureen Gruben
Gestation
Gestation, 2016
Polar bear guard hair, silicone wrap, polar bear underfur, white glue, thread
53 in. diameter
Maureen Gruben
Seal In Our Blood
Seal In Our Blood, 2018
Harp Seal Skin, red velvet, thread
Maureen Gruben
Moving with Joy, The Bentway Skate Trail
Moving with Joy, 2021-2022
The Bentway Skate Trail, Toronto, Canada
Maureen Gruben
Breathing Hole
Breathing Hole, 2019
Dricore insulation board, stainless steel pins, and sealskin
Maureen Gruben
Breath
Breath, 2016
Moosehide on canvas
Maureen Gruben
Aidainnaqduanni, Aurora
Aidainnaqduanni, Aurora, 2020
Archival inkjet on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
Maureen Gruben
Aidainnaqduanni, Morning
Aidainnaqduanni, Morning, 2020
Archival inkjet on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta
Maureen Gruben
Big Hello
Big Hello, 2021
Beaded uppers, cell phone cases
Dimensions variable, 112 pieces
Maureen Gruben
69 25 43.0 N 132 15 49.4 W
69 25 43.0 N 132 15 49.4 W, 2017
White rabbit, blue fox, polar bear fur, birchwood, copper
Maureen Gruben
Moving with joy across the ice while my face turns brown from the sun
Moving with joy across the ice while my face turns brown from the sun, 2019
Archival inkjet on Epson Hot Press Bright
Edition of 3
Maureen Gruben
Stitching My Landscape
Stitching My Landscape, 2017
Video
Edition of 3 + 2AP
Commissioned by Partners In Art for LandMarks2017/Repères2017. Curated by Tania Willard.
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