About Sophia

biography

Inuit on her mother’s side and Greek on her father’s, Sophia unique cultural background influenced a keen perspective of culture and art.

Growing up among master artists of the Kivaliq region in her family run art cooperative, Sophia was immersed in the procurement of the Inuit art, from creation to distribution. Her lineage is tied to master artists, the Shaa’s, Parr’s, Pitseolaks, a creative lineage linked to Kenojuak Ashevak. Sophia is a descendant of the Idlout family depicted on the 1974 Canadian two-dollar bill. Her great grandfather, Joseph Idlout, featured in Douglas Wilkson’s Land of the Long Day, is set in the summer camp where her mother was born, and features her grandfather, Gideon Qitsualik, one of the founding initiators of the Nunavut Land Claim Settlement.

Sophia considers ila (from the Inuktitut language) and horme (from Greek mythology) the motivation of who she is. “ila is my Inuk motivation, to be a part of something whole. Horme, is a purposeful behavior, an eagerness to live purposefully, something I always admired my late father for. To this day my mother centers me by reminding me that what I do is for a contribution to the greater good to my culture, my wholeness.”

Her gallery, Transformation Fine Art, is Canada’s first Inuk owned Inuit art gallery and as a second generation art dealer, Sophia believes that the industry is going through a radical shift in Inuit art appreciation, a shift that is rooted in reconciling Canadian education of Indigenous peoples.

“I spent 25 years working in my family run galleries in Lake Louise, Banff and Victoria, selling masterworks of Inuit and First Nation’s art to visitors from around the world, educating people on Indigenous people’s contribution to art. You learn a lot about people in how they listen to these contributions.” It was during these years that Sophia understood the true transformative power art plays in learning.

With a Bachelors of Arts in Communications, and a Masters of Adult Education, Sophia is a part of the next generation of thought leaders grounded in their culture. In 2018, Sophia spoke at TEDxYYC on The Art of Survival: A Modern-Day Inuit Odyssey Through the Arts. She is the first Inuk to speak in TEDx history. In this talk, Sophia leads you through a complex history of culture and art through thought provoking and endearing storytelling.

Sophia has curated Public Art initiatives for the City of Calgary, the Glenbow Museum, and Canada Winter Games. She has been featured in Canadian Art Magazine, broadcast promotional commercials for Indigenous Tourism of Alberta, and served a three-year term with the Board of Directors for Calgary Arts Development.