In the heyday of carving production in Arviat in the 1970s it was not uncommon to find both husband and wife busily producing works of art, often side by side. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the works of certain artists from those of his/her spouse. This was the case for several carving couples; Joy and Luke Hallauk, or Luke and Mary Ayaq Anowtalik immediately come to mind. This was decidedly not the case with Mary Kahootsuak Miki and her husband Andy Miki. While Miki’s carvings were minimalist and sometimes whimsical animal figures (see Lot 79), Kahootsuak’s were bold and expressive larger sculptures that evoke comparisons with the works of John Tiktak (Lot 33) or Toona Iquliq (Lot 130). Family Group is a work of some scale and considerable impact. It is a shame that Kahootsuak was not more prolific.

References: For similar works by the artist see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 86; and Marion Scott Gallery, Vision and Form: The Norman Zepp - Judith Varga Collection of Inuit Art, (Vancouver: Marion Scott Gallery, 2003), p. 76.