From October 16, 2026 to April 18, 2027, the Art & History Museum in Brussels presents “Inuit – Impressions du Grand Nord canadien”, a major exhibition dedicated to contemporary Inuit art from Nunavut and Nunavik, in the Canadian Arctic. Bringing together nearly 250 works — sculptures, drawings and, above all, prints, it offers an overview of around 70 years of artistic creation.
For a long time associated with sculpture in Europe, Inuit art is also rich in a remarkable graphic production, still largely unknown to the European public. The exhibition highlights artists with powerful and unique visual worlds who, for several generations, have contributed to renewing the forms and subjects of this art. Particular attention is given to women artists, notably because of their predominant involvement in graphic creation.
The exhibition above all gives a voice to Inuit artists
Far from an ethnographic approach focused on the description of a culture, the exhibition places the artists at the heart of the project. The project is part of a museum reflection attentive to the links with source communities and to the living voices that continue today to shape, renew and question the artistic practices of the Arctic.
Shamanism, mythology, the polar night, Arctic wildlife and relationships with the land are thus brought together with deeply contemporary themes such as, for example, social transformations, gender relations and climate change. Through their works, the artists question their environment and the realities of a world undergoing profound transformation. Their voices are also present throughout the exhibition through the comments they have made about their works. Furthermore, the exhibition also explains the different techniques used by the artists.
This exhibition invites visitors to move beyond the clichés often associated with Inuit peoples and discover a living, diverse and resolutely contemporary form of creation that fully participates in the artistic, social and environmental debates of our time.
A large-scale project
By its scale, this exhibition is a first in Europe and ranks among the most important exhibitions ever devoted to contemporary Inuit art on the continent. The expo draws in particular on the collection of writer and poet Carl Norac, as well as loans from Belgian museums (AfricaMuseum and Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique) and European museums (Musée des Confluences de Lyon, Musée-Château de Boulogne-sur-Mer and the Musée d’ethnographie de Leiden).
The exhibition scenography has been designed as an immersive experience. Starting from the reconstruction of a large igloo, visitors can disperse towards the different themes. These include sections devoted to marine and land animals, birds, the night — which, in winter, lasts almost 4 months, the consequences of sedentarization, the printing techniques used and the changing climate.
Four educational stations have been set up for children so that they can also engage with the content of the exhibition. In addition, guided visits for visually impaired people have also been set up. A rich programme of activities — workshops, conferences, screenings, meetings and cultural events — will complement the discovery of the works.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
EXPO Inuit – Impressions du Grand Nord canadien
16.10.2026 > 18.04.2027
Musée Art & Histoire
Parc du Cinquantenaire 10, 1000 Bruxelles
More details: www.artandhistory.museum
