Two of the foremost Kinngait sculptors of the 1950s were brothers Kiugak (Kiawak) and Qaqaq Ashoona, sons of graphic artist Pitseolak Ashoona. Like their mother, the brothers were both talented and prolific and we are blessed that they have left behind a significant oeuvre. While most are perhaps more familiar with their “mature” styles of the 1970s and 1980s, their works from the 1950s and early 1960s can be quite spectacular. Although this sculpture is seemingly naive compared to later works by the artist, it is beautifully balanced and harmonious, with an appealing overall shape, remarkably sensitive treatment of the woman’s garments, and a rich variety of textures. Standing Woman Holding a Kamik is a masterpiece of the mid 1950s Kinngait style.

References: For early examples of sculptures attributed to Qaqaq Ashoona see, Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture/Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cat. 330; Darlene Coward Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), p. 144; Cynthia Waye Cook, Inuit Sculpture In the Collection of the Art Gallery of York University, (North York: AGYU, 1988), cats. 50-54.