Billie Mercosak

Billy Merkosak (born 1967) is an Inuit sculptor, printmaker, and painter based in Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Nunavut. Raised in Mittimatalik on Baffin Island, he began drawing as a young child and was encouraged to pursue art by his mother. Self-taught in sculpture, he developed his technique by observing local carvers working with stone and animal bone during his youth.

Merkosak works across several media, including whalebone, antler, soapstone, granite, wood, acrylics, and watercolours. His visual subject matter draws upon Dorset culture archaeological artifacts, oral histories passed down by elders, human-animal transformations, and regional wildlife. He is notable for his work in mask carving, a specialized practice within modern Inuit sculpture that reflects prehistoric Dorset traditions.

In 1998, Merkosak was commissioned to create the sculpture Spirit of Pre-Dorset for the Arctic Winter Games using a century-old bowhead whale skull. He has also participated in regional cultural gatherings, including the Northern Arts Festival in Inuvik and the Adäka Cultural Festival in Whitehorse. He continues to live and work in Mittimatalik.