Aqjangajuk began to carve in the 1950s while still in his teens and would go on to establish himself as one of Cape Dorset’s premier artists. Throughout his lengthy career Aqjangajuk portrayed a richly varied repertoire of dynamic subjects, but in his later years preferred to concentrate on solitary dancing drummers and “dancing” walruses. This powerful yet surprisingly charming composition is a somewhat atypical work for the artist; the two rather lithe and sinuous walruses are portrayed as playful opposites and are almost interconnected but for a small gap at the top. The right side up walrus seems to be trying to avoid the thrashing tail of his cavorting upside-down mate. Wonderful

References: For major works by the artist see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), figs. 476-480, 894. For an early (1963) version that already clearly exhibits Aqjaganjuk’s penchant for dramatically posed animal subjects see Darlene Coward Wight, The Jerry Twomey Collection, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2003), p. 57; and Jean Blodgett, Cape Dorset, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1980), cat. 64, p. 99. For an example from 2002 see Derek Norton and Nigel Reading, Cape Dorset Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas and McIntrye, 2005), p. 92. For another example of Aqjangajuk’s powerful sculptural style see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pl. 66, p. 88.