As Norman Zepp perceptively suggests in his description of an Iksiktaaryuk drum dance scene: "…The success of these configurations is ultimately determined by the strength and beauty of the individual figures, many of which can stand on their own right" [1]. Indeed, the single standing figures that Iksiktaaryuk created, especially the large ones, are in fact marked by their strength and beauty. The finest ones have a commanding presence and an aura of solemn authority. Some are easily identifiable as shamans; often they are depicted flying, some wear amulet belts, or even sport tusks.

At first glance, Standing Figure appears more secular in nature. Closer inspection, however, yields an intriguing and almost imperceptible tuft of fur attached to one of the tines of the antler base. Even if its placement is enigmatic, it is intentional and clearly suggests the presence of the supernatural. Perhaps the tuft is a helping spirit in the form of a bird or a small mammal. Standing Figure is one of the largest examples of its type, and ranks among the very finest. Austerely elegant and quietly ecstatic, this image of a solitary man beautifully conveys Iksiktaaryuk’s spiritual beliefs and his minimalist aesthetic.

1. Norman Zepp, Pure Vision, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), p. 50.

References: For similarly large and elegant examples see Darlene Coward Wight, The Faye and Bert Settler Collection, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2004) p. 62; Art Gallery of Ontario, The People Within, (Toronto: AGO, 1976) cat. 86; and Marion Scott Gallery, Inspiration: Four Decades of Sculpture by Canadian Inuit, (Vancouver, 1995), cat. 56. See also Waddington's Auctions, Nov. 2008, Lot 99. For a Bird Shaman in the Peter Millard Collection at the WAG, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Douglas & McIntyre, 1998) fig. 85. See also the section devoted to Luke Iksiktaaryuk in Norman Zepp, Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, 1986), pp. 130-139.