We generally don’t look for spiritual content in the art of John Kavik, but perhaps we should look more closely. In his Pure Vision exhibition catalogue, Norman Zepp notes the singular nature of this remarkable sculpture: “…the head is transformed into the body of an animated figure with a strong suggestion of a spirit.” [1] We are inclined to agree with Zepp, especially given the presence of the cup-like cavity carved atop the figure’s head. If the subject is human, might the cavity symbolize the willingness to receive a helping or ancestor spirit? Or the obverse: could it suggest the release of a soul or spirit? But perhaps the figure itself portrays a spirit and not a human; if so, surely it is a helping or benign one.

In purely sculptural terms, Figure with Upraised Arms is not merely unorthodox in its abbreviation of the human figure; it is also, unexpectedly, a visual delight – incredibly charming and positively exuberant in its pose and facial expression. Serendipitously, this masterpiece by Kavik reminds us of two other gems of Inuit art: Josephie Pootoogook’s famous 1959 print Joyfully I See Ten Caribou (Lot 12 in this auction), and the Spence Bay artist Sakkiassee Anaija’s 1969 gnome-like, whale bone Spirit  (First Arts, 14 June 2022, Lot 70). Fantastic.

1. Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, 1986, p. 46.

References: For the section on John Kavik in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), see pages 108-119. For an appreciation of the artist and his work see Stanley Zazelenchuk, “Kavik: The Man and the Artist” in Arts & Culture of the North, (Vol. IV, No. 2 Spring 1980), pp. 219-221. Masterpieces by Kavik are widely published; see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92); Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture/Inuit (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971); Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998); Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010); and many more books and exhibition catalogues.