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Artworks
INNUKI OQUTAQ (1926-1986) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Monumental Incised Antler with Arctic Motifs, 1970santler, stone, and black ink, 30.73 x 18.5 x 16 in (78.1 x 47 x 40.6 cm)
signed, "ENOOKI";
with green Co-op sticker, their inventory number 2303.LOT 73
ESTIMATE: $1,200 — $1,800Further images
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Innuki, also known as Enooky, belonged to a family of remarkable artistic gifts. Like his brothers Osuitok Ipeelee and Sheokjuk Oqutaq, he showed exceptional talent, though where they became celebrated...Innuki, also known as Enooky, belonged to a family of remarkable artistic gifts. Like his brothers Osuitok Ipeelee and Sheokjuk Oqutaq, he showed exceptional talent, though where they became celebrated for stone and ivory sculpture, Innuki made his name through the highly exacting art of scrimshaw [1]. It is a demanding medium. The surface must be carefully sanded smooth before the design can begin, after which the incised lines are filled with ink, graphite, or lampblack, which settle permanently into the cuts. Each mark must be sure from the outset, since the process allows little to no revision.
Many Inuit artists of the period worked in this medium, preparing an immaculate ground for finely drawn imagery. Innuki, however, favoured caribou antler. Instead of suppressing its irregularities, he made use of them, allowing the natural contours and shifting planes to shape scenes of camp life, traditional dress, and Arctic animals. Monumental in scale and striking in form, the present work shows the imagination and control for which his practice is distinguished.
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.Provenance
An Ontario Collection. -
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