As one of Kinngait’s most brilliant printmakers, Pitseolak Niviaqsi’s skills as a master lithographer made him instrumental in the creation of several hundred prints from the mid 1970s onwards. Kept busy in the print side of the studio, his sculptural output was sadly far less prolific as a result. Works such as this one, however, prove that quality overrides quantity. Sedna Holding her Braid has a lovely sense of balance and grace thanks to the asymmetrical play between the stone and negative space in the work. Here, a delightfully smiling Sedna supports her tail with one hand, while the other clasps her braid. We love the way the other braid flips over her tail in response. Sedna’s braids – and indeed all her parts – are exquisitely carved. If the whole work seems to defy gravity, it is because Pitseolak has captured the sense of underwater buoyancy so well. This Sedna is a playful, spry spirit who really seems to be engaging with us, the viewers. Her pose is slightly coquettish and utterly charming.

References: For similarly styled depictions of Sedna by the artist see Spirit Wrestler Gallery, The Lyrical World of Pitseolak Niviaqsi, (Vancouver, 2001), cats. 15 and 29. For other important works by the artist see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cat. 181 (see text), and First Arts, Toronto, 5 December 2022, Lot 29.