Tarralik Duffy

Tarralik Duffy (born in 1979) is an Inuk multimedia artist from Coral Harbour (Salliq), in Nunavut, Canada. She currently resides primarily in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as of 2021, but continues to split her time between Saskatoon and Coral Harbour. She works with various mediums and techniques, including sculpture, drawing, photography, textiles, printmaking, digital mediums, writing, and music. and Adina Tarralik Duffy.

Early life Duffy was born in Coral Harbour, where she lived with her parents, Leonie and Ron Duffy. Her parents have owned and operated a hotel called Leonie's Place in Coral Harbour since the 1980s. Furthermore, she drew inspiration from her grandmother's cooking, clothing and the time they spent together. She started a design company called Ugly Fish as an homage to her grandmother, whose Inuktitut nickname, Kanajuq, translates to "ugly fish." Many of her pieces are inspired by the products she saw during her childhood, such as those in her home and the Quickstop (Northern Store) convenience stores in Nunavut. Many of the products depicted in Duffy's art are not of Indigenous origin but are deeply rooted in the culture and daily lives of Inuit. One element of inspiration for this piece includes cultural and shared nostalgia.

Publications Don't Cry Over Spilled Beads (2014) - This is a short nonfiction story about the moments she shared with her grandmother over her lifetime. It touches on elements of Duffy's grief, love, body image, and, ultimately, the lessons of her grandmother.

Exhibitions and distinctions Exhibitions (solo and collective) Tarralik Duffy: Let's Go Quickstop exhibition, at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2023. Gasoline Rainbows exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2023.

Distinctions 2021 recipient of the "Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award". In 2014, she received the "Sally Manning Award for Aboriginal Creative Nonfiction" for her piece Don't Cry Over Spilled Beads. In 2018, she received the "Best Canadian Essays Publication Award" for her essay titled Uvanga/Self: Picturing Our Identity.