Arnaqu was born near Cape Dorset on south Baffin Island in 1956. He is the adopted son of Kenojuak and Johnniebo Ashevak. Arnaqu began carving in the early 1980's and is perhaps better known for his three-dimensional work. He does not make simple carvings, but rather constructions of various and often unconventional materials. With assistance from the Inuit Art Foundation, Arnaqu took up a five week residency in 1991 at the Banff Centre for the Arts where he worked with ceramics for the first time. He has also participated in several printmaking workshops sponsored by the West Baffin Co-operative in Cape Dorset. Arnaqu began working as an assitant printmaker for the co-operative in 1990 and has been represented as a printmaker in annual collections since that time.