Nanook Gordon

Nanook Gordon is an actor, carver and silk-screen printer from Toronto, ON. Born in Inuvik, Invialuit Settlement Region, NT, Gordon was raised in Nova Scotia from the age of three, until their parents separated, and Gordon moved to Toronto at age twelve [1]. Their artistic practice is often entwined with their strong social conscience. Gordon, for example, produces silkscreen t-shirts for the many causes they champion.

Gordon began to learn about their culture around twenty years old, which spurred on their interest in Inuit carving and silk-screen printing. Reconnecting with their mother and learning about their family’s experience with residential schools and the indirect inter-generational trauma was a key factor in Gordon’s decision to start Feeding Canada, which sends canned food, baby products, and other care packages to northern communities [2].

Gordon screen-prints the logo for Feeding Canada onto t-shirts, which they sell to raise money for the program. As a performer, Farreal starred in the 5-episode TV series Squirm (2015), and played a bodyguard in Starvival (2012-2015) [3]. They appeared in a Buddies in Bad Times production in 2017, in Skye Wallace’s music video “There is a Wall” (2019), and was a model during Indigenous Fashion Week in 2019.

In addition to Feeding Canada, Gordon started the Intergenerational Survivor Project to capture the stories of those living with the legacy of residential schools. Gordon also co-founded the Porcupine Warriors, an indigenous-youth led group which stages peaceful protests in solidarity with increased land and water protections [4]. They exhibited and co-presented Sacred Earth: fundraiser against pipeline mancamps in Toronto in 2018, and co-led a Creation and Clay Story workshop the same year, also in Toronto. Gordon is slated to be a guest panelist at the Indigenous Knowledge Gathering in Toronto in November 2019, and will appear on APTN Skindigenous in early 2020.