www.dorsetfinearts.com Arnaqu was born near Cape Dorset on south Baffin Island in 1956. He is the adopted son of Kenojuak and Johnniebo Ashevak. Arnaqu began carving in the early 1980's and is perhaps better known for his three-dimensional work. He does not make simple carvings, but rather constructions of various and often unconventional materials. With assistance from the Inuit Art Foundation, Arnaqu took up a five-week residency in 1991 at the Banff Centre for the Arts where he worked with ceramics for the first time. He has also participated in several printmaking workshops sponsored by the Kinngait Studios in Cape Dorset. Arnaqu began working as an assistant printmaker for the co-operative in 1990 and has been represented as a printmaker in annual collections since that time. The 1994 annual graphics collection included two images which were both conceived and printed by Arnaqu, marking his debut as a graphic artist in his own right. His work was represented again in 1995 with Owl and the Raven (95-1), which was conceived by Arnaqu and printed by his friend and colleague Pitseolak Niviaqsi. In 1996, Arnaqu was represented by two images - Snowknife (96-1) and Qilalugannguat Tunniit (96-2). These etchings were proofed during the first etching workshop held in Cape Dorset in November 1995, and printed by Studio PM in Montreal. Given the success of that workshop, another was held in February 1997 in Cape Dorset, during which Arnaqu created the plate for his 1997 image Suluiit (97-1). He was represented again in the 2000 annual collection by one lithograph entitled Caribou Woman (2000-01), which was drawn directly on the lithography plates and printed by Pitseolak Niviaqsi. His image entitled Paddling Home (2002-1) was chosen for its strong graphic impact to grace the cover of the 2002 print catalogue. Arnaqu continues working for the Kinngait Studios as a printmaker in the stonecut studio. His simple yet captivating print Town Ravens (2003-01) was included in the 2003 print collection, and this year he is represented by the lovely and unusual Ivik (Grass Basket) (2004-01). These woven baskets are still made by Inuit living along the Hudson Bay coast in Nunavik; Arnaqu's inspiration comes from the sculptural work of a First Nation's artist who he met while in residency at the Banff Centre in 1991.--------------------------www.spiritwrestler.comArnaquq is an adopted son of the noted artists Kenojuak and Johnniebo Ashevak. He began carving in the early 1980s. In 1990, he started working as an assistant printmaker for the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, which inspired him to make the drawings that led to recognition as a graphic artist. He is more widely known as a carver and enjoys making fanciful constructions that use a variety of materials. He first exhibited as a printmaker in 1982, and as a sculptor two years later.--------------Cape Dorset Sculpture: Derek Norton & Nigel Readinghe began carving in the early 1980s. in 1990, he started working as an assistnat printmaker for the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative, which inspired him to make the drawings that led to recognition as a graphic artist. He is more widely known as a carver and enjoys making fanciful constructions that use a variety of materials. he first exhibited as a printmaker in 1982... --------adopted son of Kenojuak and Johnniebo--------www.feheleyfinearts.comAshevak, Arnaqu (1956 - ) Born in 1956 in an outpost camp on the land, Arnaqu Ashevak is the adopted son of Kenojuak and Johnniebo Ashevak. He has made his living as a sculptor in Cape Dorset since the early 1980s, although his first carvings were created earlier under the direction of Iqaluit high school art instructor Henry Ivaluardjuk. "I was not influenced to be an artist by my family," Arnaqu insists. "I didn't know exactly what my mother was doing; she was making a living. That's all I knew." These days, Arnaqu creates sculptures and drawings as well as prints that have been included in the annual Cape Dorset release since 1994. He has rapidly gained respect and renown for his arresting and distinctive works of art in various media, in addition to assisting with the technical aspects of printmaking in the Cape Dorset print shop since the 1990s.Today, Arnaqu is a rising star in the annual Cape Dorset print releases, creating imagery that are at once meticulous and exuberant in conception. His sculptural creations are fully modern artworks that challenge assumptions about the subjects and forms of Inuit art today. Arnaqu's sculpture is delicate and whimsical - two adjectives not generally associated with Inuit carving. His images of fragile flowers are extraordinary sculptural creations, meticulously assembled from small segments of stone and antler with metal pegging. His original drawings and paintings on paper are often surprising and spontaneous creations, reminiscent of diary entries or mental snapshots that reflect the varied experiences of any given day. In a thoroughly modern manner, the artist deftly switches media to better articulate his individual messages in colour or monotone, edgy line or inky silhouette.Television is an eye that has opened new worlds for Arnaqu, resulting in varied and mature imagery. A documentary program about the holocaust prompts a waking nightmare image. A video about Nuliajuk, the Inuit goddess also known as Sedna, spawns incarnations of the 'birdman' who takes human form to be her partner. Imagery plucked from art history books blends with ancient Inuit references as the artist overlays form and meaning. Arnaqu's concern with the world beyond his Arctic settlement suffuses his work, distinguishing him as an emerging cultural and political observer with a sensitive and significant perspective.---------------Arnaqu Ashevak belongs to a select group of younger generation Inuit artists who are successfully crossing over into the broader contemporary Canadian art market. He is a gifted and eloquent man creating fully modern artworks that challenge long-standing preconceptions about Inuit art while opening new doors for the future of the art form.Born in 1956 in an outpost camp on the land, Arnaqu Ashevak is the adopted son of Kenojuak and Johnniebo Ashevak. He has made his living as a sculptor in Cape Dorset since the early 1980s. "I was not influenced to be an artist by my family," Arnaqu insists. "I didn't know exactly what my mother was doing; she was making a living. That's all I knew." These days, Arnaqu creates sculptures and drawings, as well as prints that have been included in the annual Cape Dorset release since 1994. He has rapidly gained respect and renown for his arresting and distinctive works of art in various media.Arnaqu's sculpture is delicate and whimsical - two adjectives not generally associated with Inuit carving. His images of fragile flowers are extraordinary sculptural creations, meticulously assembled from small segments of stone and antler with metal pegging. These still life constructions are realistic in subject matter but symbolist in essence, and entirely unique among the work of his contemporaries.Arnaqu's original drawings and paintings on paper are often surprising and spontaneous creations, reminiscent of diary entries or mental snapshots that reflect the varied experiences of any given day. Television is an eye that has opened new worlds for Arnaqu, resulting in varied imagery: A documentary program about the holocaust prompts a waking nightmare image. A video about Nuliajuq, the Inuit goddess also known as Sedna, spawns incarnations of the 'birdman' who takes human form to be her partner. Imagery plucked from art history books blends with ancient Inuit references as the artist overlays form and meaning. Arnaqu's concern with the world beyond his Arctic settlement suffuses his work, distinguishing him as an emerging cultural and political observer with a sensitive and significant perspective.------------------

Exhibitions

• Cape Dorset Graphics *94, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Graphics *95, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *82, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *89, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *90, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *91, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *92, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *93, (annual collection)
• Cape Dorset Print Collection (printmaker) *94, (annual collection)
• In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
• Sculpture from Cape Dorset - The New Generation, The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art

Collections

• McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg
• Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife