Maureen Gruben

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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

Nuna

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Nuna, 2023

Video

9:12 min

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Maureen Gruben

Delta Trim

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Delta Trim, 2018

Bubble wrap, reflective tape, Velcro, zip ties, moosehide

19" X 21.75"
48.26cm X 55.24cm

Maureen Gruben

Sila

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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

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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

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Skipping Stones And Mud Pies, 2023

Clear vinyl, safety gloves, bubble wrap, leather, plastic toys, drum skin

26.5" X 15" X 13.5"
67.31cm X 38.1cm X 34.29cm

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Maureen Gruben

What took you so long?

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What took you so long?, 2023

Taxidermy foam bear head, optical fibres

15" X 11.5" X 21"
38.1cm X 29.21cm X 53.34cm

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Maureen Gruben

Annivik: Assemblage 2

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Annivik: Assemblage 2, 2021

Bullets (empty shells), sinew, metal ruler

24.5" X 10"
62.23cm X 25.4cm

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Maureen Gruben

Tapsi

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Tapsi, 2021

Cable, sinew, ookpik

24" X 9.5"
60.96cm X 24.13cm

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Maureen Gruben

Atikluq

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Atikluq, 2023

Parka cover, acrylic paint, thread

11" X 12.75" X 7.5"
27.94cm X 32.38cm X 19.05cm

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Maureen Gruben

Polaroid

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Polaroid, 2023

Packing foam, polar bear fur, suede, pearl pins

12.5" X 19.5"
31.75cm X 49.53cm

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Maureen Gruben

Mitqun

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Mitqun, 2019

Inkjet print

50" X 33.3"
127cm X 84.58cm

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Maureen Gruben

The Women’s Darkroom

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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.

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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

60" X 50" X 1"
152.4cm X 127cm X 2.54cm

Maureen Gruben

Waiting For The Shaman

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Waiting For The Shaman, 2017

Bones from polar bear paws, resin

22" X 22" X 1"
55.88cm X 55.88cm X 2.54cm

Maureen Gruben

This Is Not A Hudson’s Bay Blanket

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This Is Not A Hudson's Bay Blanket, 2015

Moosehide blanket on aluminum plinth

14" X 14" X 7"
35.56cm X 35.56cm X 17.78cm

Maureen Gruben

Survival

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Survival, 2018

Sealskin, beads, deer hide, ribbon, and metal clasps on canvas

48" X 60"
121.92cm X 152.4cm

Maureen Gruben

Superseded

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Superseded, 2020

Tin claim plates, soldering wire, copper and steel nails, plywood

16" X 24"
40.64cm X 60.96cm

Maureen Gruben

Stitching My Landscape

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Stitching My Landscape, 2017

Archival inkjet print on Epson Hot Press Bright

Edition of 3

96" X 39.25"
243.84cm X 99.69cm

Maureen Gruben

Message

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Message, 2015

Polar bear guard hairs, cotton thread, black interface

180" X 24"
457.2cm X 60.96cm

Maureen Gruben

Guardian

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Guardian, 2017

Polar bear guard hairs, clear vinyl, ricrac, bias tape

39" X 40"
99.06cm X 101.6cm

Maureen Gruben

Gestation

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Gestation, 2016

Polar bear guard hair, silicone wrap, polar bear underfur, white glue, thread

53 in. diameter

Maureen Gruben

Seal In Our Blood

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Seal In Our Blood, 2018

Harp Seal Skin, red velvet, thread

" X 384" X 1"
0cm X 975.36cm X 2.54cm

Maureen Gruben

Moving with Joy, The Bentway Skate Trail

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Moving with Joy, 2021-2022

The Bentway Skate Trail, Toronto, Canada

Maureen Gruben

Breathing Hole

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Breathing Hole, 2019

Dricore insulation board, stainless steel pins, and sealskin

48" X 30"
121.92cm X 76.2cm

Maureen Gruben

Breath

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Breath, 2016

Moosehide on canvas

48" X 60"
121.92cm X 152.4cm

Maureen Gruben

Aidainnaqduanni, Aurora

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Aidainnaqduanni, Aurora, 2020

Archival inkjet on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta

32" X 48"
81.28cm X 121.92cm

Maureen Gruben

Aidainnaqduanni, Morning

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Aidainnaqduanni, Morning, 2020

Archival inkjet on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta

32" X 48"
81.28cm X 121.92cm

Maureen Gruben

Big Hello

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Big Hello, 2021

Beaded uppers, cell phone cases

Dimensions variable, 112 pieces

Maureen Gruben

69 25 43.0 N 132 15 49.4 W

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69 25 43.0 N 132 15 49.4 W, 2017

White rabbit, blue fox, polar bear fur, birchwood, copper

48" X 21" X 19"
121.92cm X 53.34cm X 48.26cm

Maureen Gruben

Moving with joy across the ice while my face turns brown from the sun

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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

120" X 42.5"
304.8cm X 107.95cm

Maureen Gruben

Stitching My Landscape

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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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Maureen Gruben

Fresh Artifacts

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Fresh Artifacts, 2017

Cast resin, steel, copper nails, reflective tape, wax

52" X 12"
132.08cm X 30.48cm

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Maureen Gruben

Consumed

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Consumed, 2017

Beluga intestine, thread, found objects

Dimensions variable

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