The 2026 Sobey Art Award long list has been announced, placing 30 artists from across Canada in contention for one of the country’s most prestigious contemporary visual arts prizes. Among them is Northwest Territories artist Melaw Nakehk’o, whose inclusion is drawing attention for its focus on Indigenous knowledge, northern identity and environmental urgency.
The long list, revealed Thursday by the National Gallery of Canada, highlights artists considered among the nation’s most compelling voices today. Nakehk’o, who is Dene and Dënesųłıné from Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation, is part of the Circumpolar region cohort alongside artists from Nunavut, Yukon and Labrador. Six artists will be shortlisted on May 26, with the final winner receiving C$100,000 from a total prize pool of C$465,000.
For Nakehk’o, the recognition comes as both a personal milestone and a reflection of the growing visibility of Indigenous-led artistic practices in Canada. She described the nomination as “a surprise and an honour,” underscoring how deeply her work remains tied to the land and community where she was raised and continues to live.
Rooted in tradition, shaped by the present
A multidisciplinary artist, Nakehk’o has worked across sculpture, film, audio and teaching, but her practice is anchored in the traditional knowledge of hide tanning. Using moose and caribou hide, she reclaims a foundational cultural practice that has historically been essential for shelter, clothing and transportation in northern communities.
Rather than presenting these materials as historical artefacts, her work transforms them into contemporary sculptural forms. Beadwork, sewing and hide preparation are integrated into pieces that reflect both personal identity and collective experience, bridging generational knowledge with modern artistic expression.
Her recent work has increasingly focused on the decline of caribou populations in the Northwest Territories. By combining human and animal forms, she creates visual narratives that explore imbalance between people and the natural world. Many of her materials are salvaged from discarded remains along ice roads, turning waste into a form of remembrance and respect for the animals.
This environmental concern extends into her film work. Nakehk’o is currently co-directing her first feature-length documentary with longtime collaborator Lesley Johnson, focusing on the Bathurst caribou herd and Indigenous-led efforts to protect it. The project reflects a broader commitment to storytelling that goes beyond galleries and into lived ecological realities.
Recognition and wider impact
Alongside her artistic practice, Nakehk’o has spent around 15 years teaching moose and caribou hide tanning across communities in Canada. Her work is part of a wider movement to revitalize Indigenous knowledge systems that were historically suppressed, placing cultural transmission at the centre of contemporary art.
The Sobey Art Award’s regional structure — spanning the Pacific, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic and Circumpolar regions — is designed to capture the diversity of artistic voices across the country. An independent jury, including international representatives, selects the long list and subsequent shortlist.
Nakehk’o is nominated alongside Circumpolar artists Janet Nungnik and Annie Pillaktuaq of Nunavut, Krystle Silverfox of Yukon, and Melissa Tremblett of Labrador, reflecting a strong northern presence in this year’s selection.
The award has increasingly become a platform not just for artistic recognition but for broader cultural conversations. Nakehk’o’s inclusion signals a shift toward practices that engage with land, climate change and Indigenous identity in ways that challenge traditional art world boundaries. More details about the award and its selection process are available via the National Gallery of Canada.
As the shortlist announcement approaches, her nomination highlights how contemporary Canadian art is evolving — not only through new forms, but through the resurgence of knowledge systems that have long shaped life in the North, now gaining recognition on a national stage.
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