-
Artworks
JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET)
Head, early 1970sstone, 9.75 x 7.75 x 2.75 in (24.8 x 19.7 x 7 cm)
signed, "ᑎᑕ".LOT 87
ESTIMATE: $7,000 — $10,000
PRICE REALIZED: $6,500.00Further images
Famous for his figural sculptures, including those of mothers and children (see Lot 83), Tiktak is also celebrated for his depictions of human heads and faces, carved both singly and...Famous for his figural sculptures, including those of mothers and children (see Lot 83), Tiktak is also celebrated for his depictions of human heads and faces, carved both singly and in clusters. There are a few early examples, but Tiktak began carving single heads regularly in the mid 1960s (see First Arts, 1 Dec. 2020, Lot 16 from 1964-65, and Lot 10 in this sale from c. 1967), and multiple head works soon thereafter. As with his figural works, Tiktak’s heads became more raw and even brutal in style by the late 1960s.
This Head probably dates from the early 1970s (just after George Swinton’s landmark Tiktak solo exhibition in 1970). Impressive in both its large size and its ruggedness, it was probably carved from stone scavenged at the old nickel mine site in Rankin Inlet. The large mineral veins and inclusions add to this formidable sculpture’s almost primeval feeling of rawness and monumentality.Provenance
Private Collection, Toronto.