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Artworks
ARNAQU ASHEVAK (1956-2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Vase with Arctic Grasses, 2004stone and antler, 16.5 x 16.5 x 12 in (41.9 x 41.9 x 30.5 cm)
signed and dated, "ᐊᓇᑯ / 04".LOT 71
ESTIMATE: $5,000 — $8,000
PRICE REALIZED: $5,280.00Further images
The adopted son of Kenojuak Ashevak, Arnaqu Ashevak was a multidisciplinary artist who went beyond his peers in a constant search for new and inventive ways to combine local materials...The adopted son of Kenojuak Ashevak, Arnaqu Ashevak was a multidisciplinary artist who went beyond his peers in a constant search for new and inventive ways to combine local materials such a stone, antler, and whalebone, in unique and technically difficult compositions, which referenced both traditional Inuit and Western subject matter. Vase with Arctic Grasses is a superb example of his unique vision, presenting his realistic yet stylish interpretation of something as commonplace as a vase filled with differently shaped grasses.
This work is from a series of sculptures by the artist of flowers and leaves which were meticulous in execution. Vase with Arctic Grasses is an elegant work, with willowy fronds made of antler, placed in a vase made from finely veined green stone. While it may appear simple in concept, it is quite the opposite in technique. The vase is a long-necked and highly polished, graceful vessel. The number and shape of the fronds perfectly balance the holder. Each of these is carved from caribou antler, carefully shaped so that the artist could successfully evoke the fragility of the individual curved fronds. The varying shapes and heights of the grasses finish this serene composition beautifully.
References: For similar compositions of plants or plant-like compositions 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. 57 (see text); Christine Lalonde, Inuit Sculpture Now, (Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 2005), p. 16; Derek Norton and Nigel Reading, Cape Dorset Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas and McIntrye, 2005), p. 114; See also the article on the artist by Patricia Feheley, “A Filtered Vision: The World According to Arnaqu Ashevak” in Inuit Art Quarterly, (Vol. 21, No. 2, Summer 2006), pp. 24-31.Provenance
Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto;
Acquired from the above by John and Joyce Price, Seattle, 2004.Exhibitions
Toronto, Feheley Fine Arts, Kenojuak and Onward: Arnaqu Ashevak, Adamie Ashevak, Kenojuak Ashevak, November 2004, cat. 2;
In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun: Sami and Inuit Art 2000-2005, travelling exh., Hamilton, Ontario, Art Gallery of Hamilton, 14 January - 7 May 2006; St. John's, Newfoundland,The Rooms, 16 Feb - 20 April 2007; Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 19 May - 19 August 2007; Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Yukon Arts Centre, 10 January - 9 March 2008; Ottawa, Ontario, National Gallery of Canada, 23 May - 17 August 2008,
Publications
Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto, Kenojuak and Onward: Arnaqu Ashevak, Adamie Ashevak, Kenojuak Ashevak, November 2004, cat. 2, reproduced;
Jean Blodgett, In the Shadow of the Midnight Sun: Sami and Inuit Art 2000-2005, (Hamilton: Art Gallery of Hamilton, 2007), reproduced p. 34.
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