I Turn Myself into a Worm is a mesmerizing example of the artist’s virtually unmatched freedom of expression as a draughtsman. While the focal point of the picture is the transformed artist, whose worm body represents an iconic motif and the recurring subject for Sikkuark, the artist enlivens virtually the entire surface of his sheet with swirling blobs and lines that direct the flow of energy in the composition. The writhing and neutral toned worm man sits amidst a psychedelic symphony of shocking blues and purples, along with flickers of greens, and bold reds. These colourful forms have been applied with a deft hand on to a crisp, black sheet to create gradated swaths that seem to suggest a celestial boundlessness.

References: For a discussion of Sikkuark’s use of black paper see, Marion Scott Gallery, The Art of Nick Sikkuark: Sculpture and Drawings, (Vancouver: Marion Scott Gallery, 2003), pp. 17-23. See the section on the artist in Darlene Coward Wight, Art & Expression of the Netsilik, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2000), pp. 32-43. For a discussion of Sikkuark's sculptural style see Robert Kardosh's two-part article, "Natural Fantasia: The Wonderful World of Nick Sikkuark”: Part I in Inuit Art Quarterly, (Vol. 20, No. 1, Spring 2005), pp. 8-14, and Part II in Inuit Art Quarterly, (Vol. 20, No. 2, Summer 2005), pp. 10-16.