Couzyn van Heuvelen

Bonavista Biennale has commissioned a new outdoor installation by Couzyn van Heuvelen, which will continue and expand upon his series of Nitsiit. The fishing lure speaks both to sustenance—providing food—as well as the development of unique visual design forms. Transforming these typically small and delicate tools into large-scale sculptural forms, and placing them in the landscape, van Heuvelen invites a shift in perspective and consideration of our impact on the land and seas, be it one of respectful balance or out-sized consumption. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Couzyn van Heuvelen is an Inuk sculptor and installation artist originally from Iqaluit, Nunavut and currently living in Bowmanville, ON. He has community ties to Iqaluit, Nunavut and Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. He is best known for his large scale hunting and fishing implements. His work has been featured in exhibitions at The Powerplant, Toronto; The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, St. John’s; Qaumajuq, Winnipeg; Anchorage Museum, Alaska; and Pātaka Art + Museum, Porirua, New Zealand.

Van Heuvelen’s work was recently featured on the cover of the Fall 2022 issue of Inuit Art Quarterly magazine. He holds a BFA from York University and an MFA from NSCAD University. He has been long listed for the 2023 Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award, short listed for the 2021 Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award, and long listed for the 2018 Sobey Art Award.