Arnasungaaq began carving in the late 1950s, first in caribou antler, muskox horn, wood, and then in stone when the supply of it increased. By the early 1960s he had quickly risen to prominence as one of Baker Lake’s foremost artists. Despite the constant demands for his muskoxen, Barnabus maintained that people were his favourite subjects. Over the course of his long and storied career, Barnabus’s style gradually evolved from carefully realized compositions (such as the present example) to a far more pared-down style in his later years, likely due to the hardness of the local stone and his declining health and strength.

Arnasungaaq was born on the land and he and his family endured periods of starvation, sickness, and death. Indeed, one wonders whether this monumental sculpture might represent his own small family mourning the loss of a young child. It is also entirely possible that the work represents something far less forlorn, and instead features a happy couple playing with their two boys. Subject and mood can indeed be in the eye of the beholder. Either way, Family Group is an eloquent and moving work of art.