Johnny Aculiak was born on one of the Hopewell Islands, just north of Inukjuak. He has lived in other communities, but moved back to Inukjuak in 1993. Although he is best known for his carvings, Aculiak has also ventured into drawing and jewellery making. Aculiak learned to carve on his own in 1968 and has since worked with materials such as stone, antler, ivory and whalebone. Aculiak, however, prefers working with soapstone. One of his favourite subjects to depict is an Inuk hunting game; he feels it is important others learn about his people and their culture. 

In a 1997 interview, Aculiak said that at first, he was shy about his work and he would hide his carvings from everyone. He felt that they were not good enough for people to look at and he was very anxious to be able to carve as well as his friends. Preferring hand tools over power tools, Aculiak carves highly naturalistic narratives. His figures are in tight complex spaces interlocking with one another. He produces interesting and creative representations of people and animals as they hunt, eat and play. Even details like teeth are painstakingly added with small bits of carved ivory or antler, to the figures. Often, he works the surface of the soft dark green stone with careful etchings and incisions to contrast the polished areas in order to show the differences between the figures, their tools and the land. 

Aculiak is married to crafts artist Lily Aculiak.

 

Exhibitions

• Arctic Forms - Inuit Sculpture, Arctic Inuit Art Gallery
• Arctic Quebec Print Collection *73, (annual collection)
• Arctic Quebec Print Collection II *73, (annual collection)
• Arctic Quebec Print Collection II *74, (annual collection)
• Images from the Arctic, Galerie D'Art Vincent
• Major/Minor, Marion Scott Gallery
• Miniaturen, Inuit Galerie
• Not Just a Dancing Step..., Galerie D'Art Vincent
• Povungnituk, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Stories in Stone: Soapstone Sculptures From Northern Quebec and Kenya, La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec
• The Art of the Eskimo, Newman Galleries
• The Inuit Imagination, Winnipeg Art Gallery
• Things Made by Inuit, La Federation des Cooperatives du Nouveau-Quebec

Collections

• Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull
• National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg