Valeriy Aleksandrovich Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn (1955–2019)

Valeriy Aleksandrovich Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn was born 25 September 1955 as the fourth child in a family with a long legacy of reindeer herding in the tundra, in a place called El’otkonvyn (‘Place of the Drum Festival’) in the tundra around Ryrkaipii, Schmidt District, Magadan Region. He passed away on 14 September 2019, at the age of 64. At age seven, Valeriy broke his leg while riding with his father on a reindeer sled. His leg was dangling off the sled when it hit a bump at full speed. He was taken to western Russia, where he spent seven years while his leg healed. By the time he returned to Chukotka, he had completely forgotten his native language and didn’t even remember his own parents. It took a lot of effort for him, but he regained command of the Chukchi language. He usually always attained his intended goals and achieved results. From 1964 to 1974, Valeriy studied in the middle schools of Ryrkaipii and Schmidt. Then he underwent professional training and obtained a diploma in artistic design in the theatrical and decorative arts department of the Vladivostok School of Art of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. During his younger years, he worked as a general labourer and hunter-fisherman in the state farm “Pioneer” in the village of Ryrkaipii. After that, while working as a methodologist in the propaganda and culture brigade of the Chukotka Department of Culture in the city of Anadyr, he had the opportunity to travel among the towns and villages of Chukotka and Schmidt District, where he drew portraits of reindeer herders and sea mammal hunters, as well as landscapes. In the 1980s, as a graphic designer, he illustrated author Valentina Veqet’s book Tanoigaikotl’at (People Sleeping on Seal Skins). In the early 1990s, Valeriy mastered the art of Chukchi ivory carving. As he recalled about that period: The main thematic direction in the creative work of the artist Valeriy Aleksandrovich Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn was illustrations from the everyday life of Chukchi reindeer herders. In the 1990s and 2000s, he took part in solo exhibits in several cities: Geneva, Switzerland in 1996; Ottawa, Canada in 1999; Anchorage, Alaska in 2001; and Elne, France in 2001. From 2004 to 2008, he participated in several exhibits: Harbin, China in 2004; Dudinka, Dolgan-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in 2005; Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2006 and again in 2008. And since 2008, he continuously took part in local exhibits in Anadyr. From 2005 to 2018, as he participated in professional competitive exhibitions in various arenas on the regional and federal levels, Valeriy Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn represented the traditional art of Chukotka. His creative work earned diplomas, certificates of honour, and commendations. In 2013, he was awarded the title “Master of Folk-Art Crafts of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,” by an Order of the Department of Education, Culture, and Youth Policy of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, No. 01-21/165 of 22 March 2013. In 2015, the artist Valeriy Vykvyragtyrgyrgyn became a member of the Russian national creative arts organization “Union of Artists of Russia.” The works of this master carver, made from walrus tusk, ancient mammoth tusk, and the antlers of reindeer and moose, are preserved in the private collections of friends and Northerners, as well as guests to Chukotka: tourists, anthropologists, and cinematographers from France, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, the United States, Australia, China, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Mexico, Turkey, Israel, and other countries. Valeriy loved and treasured his family very much. Two years after he finished art school, he returned to Chukotka and married a girl named Rysḳ’yntoŋav, with whom he had grown …