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Kenojuak & Onwards
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. "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. 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. These still life constructions are realistic in subject matter but symbolist in essence, and entirely unique among the work of his contemporaries. Arnaqu's 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. Television is
an eye that has opened new worlds for Arnaqu, resulting in varied imagery:
A documentary program about the holocaust prompts a waking nightmare
image. A video about Nuliajuq, 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. Print an index list
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