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Artworks
INNUKI OQUTAQ (1926-1986) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Incised Antler with Arctic Motifs, 22 Feb 1984antler, stone, and ink, 32.25 x 21.5 x 11 in (81.9 x 54.6 x 27.9 cm)
signed, "ENOOKY";
dated to the accompanying igloo tag, as issued.LOT 105
ESTIMATE: $3,500 — $5,000Further images
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Like his brothers Osuitok Ipeelee (see lots 14, 41, and 121) and Sheokjuk Oqutaq, Innuki (also Enooky) demonstrated extraordinary artistic ability. While his siblings achieved recognition as stone and ivory...Like his brothers Osuitok Ipeelee (see lots 14, 41, and 121) and Sheokjuk Oqutaq, Innuki (also Enooky) demonstrated extraordinary artistic ability. While his siblings achieved recognition as stone and ivory sculptors, Innuki’s primary field was the exacting art of scrimshaw [1].
Scrimshaw demands absolute precision. The surface must first be sanded smooth before any design is attempted. Etched lines are then filled with ink, graphite, or lampblack, which settle permanently into the incisions. Every mark is decisive, and the discipline of the process leaves no room for correction.
Other Inuit artists also explored scrimshaw during this period, often working on walrus tusks (see lots 93 and 121), labouring to create a flawless surface on which to draw. Innuki, by contrast, preferred caribou antler. Rather than smoothing away its irregularities, he used its natural contours to his advantage, with each plane of the antler becoming a stage for imagery that reflected camp life, traditional clothing, and northern wildlife. The present work, monumental in scale and remarkable in form, exemplifies the inventiveness and control that define his practice.
1. We acknowledge that “scrimshaw” is not an entirely accurate term for this art form. However, it has entered common usage in both scholarship and the art market, and so it is employed here for clarity and consistency.
References: For a similarly large example by the artist see Spirit Wrestler Gallery, The Cedar Creek Collection of First Nations Art: Susy and Jack Wadsworth, (Vancouver: Spirit Wrestler Gallery, 2019), pp. 4-5.Provenance
Ex. Coll. Colin John Grasset Molson (C.J.G ), Montreal. -
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