Tlehpik Hjalmer Wenstob was raised on Tzartus island in Barkley Sound, in Huu-ay-aht First Nation’s territory, off the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was there that his understanding and desire to pursue both his traditional Nuu-chah-nulth and contemporary art practices began. Hjalmer Wenstob is an interdisciplinary artist who specializes in sculpture and carving. He is Nuu-chah-nulth from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations on his dad's side, and Norwegian and English on his mum’s side.


His community-based art practice began while he was a provincial and national youth representative with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) where he held carving events across the country with youth and communities, bringing people together through collaborative, hands-on carving and art. These community carving projects continue today. Through these projects, he has carved totem poles, log drums and large-scale sculptures with youth and communities, which are installed throughout Canada. In recent years, he has been working on putting art back in Tla-o-qui-aht territory, and has carved and installed 8 place-marker poles, as well as a 26-foot totem pole and a Welcome Sign to the territory. 


In his contemporary practice, Hjalmer completed both an undergraduate and master's degree in Fine Art at the University of Victoria, exploring the relationships between cultures and art, and the balance between traditional and contemporary. His work, at times highly political, uses humour and irony to pose difficult questions of respect, reconciliation and environmental issues. In 2017, Hjalmer and his family opened Cedar House Gallery in Ucluelet, B.C. where Hjalmer is exploring ways of weaving his contemporary/political work with more traditional materials and styles. In 2018, Hjalmer was awarded the national William and Meredith Saunderson Prize for Emerging Artists in Canada, from the Hnatyshyn Foundation in Ottawa, Ontario.

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