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ARNAQU ASHEVAK (1956 - ) |
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Born in 1956 in an outpost camp on the land, Arnaqu Ashevak is the adopted son of Kenojuak and Johnniebo Ashevak. He has made his living as a sculptor in Cape Dorset since the early 1980s, although his first carvings were created earlier under the direction of Iqaluit high school art instructor Henry Ivaluardjuk. "I was not influenced to be an artist by my family," Arnaqu insists. "I didn't know exactly what my mother was doing; she was making a living. That's all I knew." These days, Arnaqu creates sculptures and drawings as well as prints that have been included in the annual Cape Dorset release since 1994. He has rapidly gained respect and renown for his arresting and distinctive works of art in various media, in addition to assisting with the technical aspects of printmaking in the Cape Dorset print shop since the 1990s. Today, Arnaqu is a rising star in the annual Cape Dorset print releases, creating imagery that are at once meticulous and exuberant in conception. His sculptural creations are fully modern artworks that challenge assumptions about the subjects and forms of Inuit art today. Arnaqu's sculpture is delicate and whimsical - two adjectives not generally associated with Inuit carving. His images of fragile flowers are extraordinary sculptural creations, meticulously assembled from small segments of stone and antler with metal pegging. His original drawings and paintings on paper are often surprising and spontaneous creations, reminiscent of diary entries or mental snapshots that reflect the varied experiences of any given day. In a thoroughly modern manner, the artist deftly switches media to better articulate his individual messages in colour or monotone, edgy line or inky silhouette. Television is an eye that has opened new worlds for Arnaqu, resulting in varied and mature imagery. A documentary program about the holocaust prompts a waking nightmare image. A video about Nuliajuk, the Inuit goddess also known as Sedna, spawns incarnations of the 'birdman' who takes human form to be her partner. Imagery plucked from art history books blends with ancient Inuit references as the artist overlays form and meaning. Arnaqu's concern with the world beyond his Arctic settlement suffuses his work, distinguishing him as an emerging cultural and political observer with a sensitive and significant perspective.
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