Paul Malliki is widely regarded as one of the foremost living Inuit wildlife artists. Born at an outpost camp and later relocating with his family to Igloolik and then Naujaat (Repulse Bay), his life has been shaped by both movement and close observation. He began carving as a child, and by his early teens was already selling his work, which were rendered with a precision that belied his young age.

Raised on the land, Malliki has spent his life hunting and observing. Caribou, polar bears, and other northern animals have long been his subjects, valued not only as sustenance but as sources of study. His carvings reflect this lifelong attention, capturing not just accuracy but distilled moments of movement and mood.

The composition of the present work reveals a thoughtful balance between solidity and motion. The stone is evenly worked, allowing the form to emerge with clarity and intent. The animal’s posture is carefully constructed: its head raised, the snout tapering in a way that draws the viewer’s eye forward, neck angled just enough to suggest tension without strain. The lifted foreleg introduces a sense of momentum, while the spacing between the limbs opens the figure to light and air, giving it room to move visually, if not physically. Striking, too, are the large, sculpted antlers, their broad, arching forms echoing the lift of the animal’s gaze. The sculpture moves beyond anatomical fidelity, it exquisitely captures the momentary grace of an animal aware, poised, and in motion.