SIMEONIE ELIJASSIAPIK (SEEMUNIE; SEMEONIE; ELYJASSIAPIK) Born: February 12, 1948 Male E9-1611 Place of Birth: Quaqtaq Resides: Inukjuak Sculpture Simeonie Elijassiapik was born on February 12, 1948 in a small hunting  camp just north of Inukjuak. He is the son of the late Elijassiapik; three of his brothers are also well-known carvers. Simeonie attended two years of high school but quit because he felt that the information he was being taught was  not applicable to the Inuit. At present, he lives in Inukjuak with his wife  Lucy, whom he married in 1969, and their children. In addition to carving,  Simeonie operates a local snowmobile repair shop.   Simeonie's father taught him the basic skills of hunting, a task which  they undertook together until Elijassiapik was hospitalized in 1966; Simeonie  continued to hunt, primarily in the company of Johnny Inukpuk. It is not  surprising that the famous artist had a profound influence on the young man's  artistic development. At age fourteen Simeonie began to carve sculpture based on the theme of the hunt.   Over the years shamanic transformations - man into animal or animal into  man - have dominated this artist's work. Moreover, Simeonie's sculptures have successfully combined both the influences of his father's traditional approach with the stylistic conventions of Johnny Inukpuk. A strong undercurrent of  mysticism suggests itself not only in the choice of subject matter, but  perhaps also in the rhythmic flow of lines.   Simeonie's abilities have been highly recognized by his fellow artists,  and in 1981 he was awarded first prize in a carving competition organized by  the members of the Inukjuak Cooperative. His bold individual style has also  found much favour among collectors of Inuit art both in North America and  Europe.  EXHIBITIONS: March 1978 Arctic Oddities The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art  Toronto, Ontario (illustrated brochure) November 1981 Arctic Quebec Sculpture/Toni Onley Watercolours  Houston North Gallery  Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (illustrated catalogue) December 1983 Artists of Arctic Quebec Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  Vancouver, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue) October 1984 Inuit Art from Arctic Quebec La Federation des Cooperatives du  Nouveau-Quebec  presented at the Canada Trade Centre  Tokyo, Japan January - Feb 1986 Inuit: Eskimo Art of Arctic Canada Miharudo Gallery  Mejiro, Japan June 1986 New Beginnings: a celebration of Native expression at the first Native Business  Summit  Metro Toronto Convention Centre  Toronto, Ontario August 1986 Arctic Quebec Sculpture Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  Vancouver, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue) July - August 1987 Mother Gallery Indigena  Stratford, Ontario (illustrated catalogue) Dec 1987 - Jan 1988 The Art of the Eskimo Newman Galleries  Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. March 1988 Sculpture: Eli, Harry and Simeonie Elijassiapik The Guild Shop  Toronto, Ontario October 1988 Tundra & Ice: Stone Images of Animals and Man  presented by Orca Aart at the  Adventurers' Club  Chicago, Illinois November 1988 Echoes of the Drum Gallery of the Arctic  Victoria, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue) February 1989 Arctic Images: Major Sculptures by Canada's Leading Contemporary Eskimo (Inuit) Artists  at D/Erlien Fine Art Limited  presented by Orca Aart, Chicago  Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A. November 1990 This Is My World Presented by Jordan Fine Arts  at the Windmill Gallery  Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. Dec 1990 - Feb 1991 Drummers The Guild Shop  Toronto, Ontario May - June 1991 Mother and Child: Sculpture and Prints Albers Gallery  San Francisco, California, U.S.A. (illustrated brochure) June - August 1991 Aux frontieres de l'imaginaire inuit Galerie du Trait-Carre  Charlesbourg, Quebec (illustrated brochure) June - September 1991 Granville Island Canadian Inuit Sculpture Exhibition (second exhibition)  Vancouver Inuit Art Society  Vancouver, British Columbia November 1995 Inspiration Four Decades of Sculpture  Marion Scott Gallery  Vancouver, British Columbia (illustrated catalogue) SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 1981 Simeonie Elijassiapik Marion Scott Gallery  Vancouver, British Columbia May 1983 Simeonie Elijassiapik: His Recent Sculpture The Guild Shop  Toronto, Ontario (illustrated catalogue) COLLECTIONS: Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec  Ministere des affaires culturelles du Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec  Musee de la civilisation, Quebec City, Quebec  HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS and EVENTS: 1981 Was judged first prize winner in a sculpture competition organized by the Inukjuak cooperative members. 1982 Demonstrated carving at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. 1984 Travelled to Tokyo to participate in an FCNQ sponsored exhibition at the Canadian Trade Centre. SELECTED REFERENCES: Elijassiapik, Simeonie  SIMEONIE ELIJASSIAPIK: His Recent Sculpture. Toronto: The Guild Shop, 1983. Gallery Indigena  MOTHER. Kitchener, Ontario: Gallery Indigena, 1987. Gallery of the Arctic  ECHOES OF THE DRUM. Victoria, B.C. : Gallery of the Arctic, 1988. Inuit Gallery of Vancouver  ARTISTS OF ARCTIC QUEBEC. Vancouver: Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1983. Marion Scott Gallery  INSPIRATION: FOUR DECADES OF SCULPTURE BY CANADIAN INUIT: Curated by Norman Zepp. Vancouver: Marion Scott Gallery [1996]. Noel, Michel  NUNAVIMIUT: ART INUIT = INUIT ART. Pointe-Claire, Quebec: Roussan en collaboration avec l'Institut cultural AVATAQ, 1992 (Collection LE TAMBOUR). Roberts, A. Barry  THE INUIT ARTISTS OF INOUCDJOUAC, P.Q: Historical and Biographical Information for the Viewers and Collectors of Eskimo Art. Montreal: La Federation des Co-operatives du Noveau Quebec with the co-operation of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 1978. Rothwell, Stephen J.  DEPARTMENT'S EXHIBIT AT CNE POPULAR ATTRACTION. Intercom (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada), October, 1982. (c) Inuit Art Section, INAC 1995

Exhibitions

• Arctic Images: Major Sculptures by Canada's Leading Contemporary Eskimo (Inuit) Artists, at D/Erlien Fine Art Limited presented by Orca Aart, Chicago
• Arctic Oddities, The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art
• Arctic Quebec Sculpture, Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
• Arctic Quebec Sculpture/Toni Onley Watercolours, Houston North Gallery
• Artists of Arctic Quebec, Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
• Aux frontieres de l'imaginaire inuit, Galerie du Trait-Carre
• Drummers, The Guild Shop
• Echoes of the Drum, Gallery of the Arctic
• Granville Island Canadian Inuit Sculpture Exhibition (second exhibition), Vancouver Inuit Art Society
• Inspiration Four Decades of Sculpture, Marion Scott Gallery
• Inuit Art from Arctic Quebec, La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec presented at the Canada Trade Centre
• Inuit: Eskimo Art of Arctic Canada, Miharudo Gallery
• Mother, Gallery Indigena
• Mother and Child: Sculpture and Prints, Albers Gallery
• New Beginnings: a celebration of Native expression at the first Native Business Summit, Metro Toronto Convention Centre
• Sculpture: Eli, Harry and Simeonie Elijassiapik, The Guild Shop
• Simeonie Elijassiapik, Marion Scott Gallery
• Simeonie Elijassiapik: His Recent Sculpture, The Guild Shop
• The Art of the Eskimo, Newman Galleries
• This Is My World, Presented by Jordan Fine Arts at the Windmill Gallery
• Tundra & Ice: Stone Images of Animals and Man, presented by Orca Aart at the Adventurers' Club

Collections

• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull
• Ministere des affaires culturelles du Quebec, Quebec City
• Musee de la civilisation, Quebec City