Karoo ashevak biography of william

Photo Pamela Harris. Karoo Ashevak Figure c. Karoo Ashevak Flying Shaman c. Karoo Ashevak Spirit Figure c. Medium: Sculpture. Date of Birth: Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. Date of Death: Artists may have multiple dates of death listed as a result of when and where they passed away. Similar to date of birth, an artist may have passed away outside of a community centre or in another community resulting in different dates being recorded.

According to the shamanistic belief, certain spirits acted as the angakkuq 's eyes, and they could fly over long distance and report to the angakkuq what they had seen. Ashevak was known for having a distinctive personality among the Inuit artists by being openly expressive about his emotions. However, Ashevak freely vented his emotions, and sometimes he even displayed aggressive and antagonistic behaviours.

Ashevak enjoyed the creative process of carvings, and he took enormous pride in his work.

Karoo ashevak biography of william

Ashevak's favourite part of sculpture was to apply finishing touches, which gave the final piece distinctive details. In August , Ashevak's life started to come to a tragic end. His adopted son, Lary, was killed by dogs. On October 19 of the same year, Ashevak and his wife Doris both died in a fire that destroyed their house. Ashevak established a well-known reputation in his community and the nearby area of Uqsuqtuc, otherwise recognized as Gjoa Haven, during his artistic career.

His work inspired a whole generation of Kitikmeot carvers. They are also included in many corporate and museum collections. This was the beginning of his successful career. Ashevak's early exhibitions between and had very successful outcomes as many works were sought after and sold even though he was not well-known yet. Two features that make these exhibitions stand out is the type of purchaser and the audience reaction.

The sculptures were popular amongst Eskimo and non-Eskimo art collectors as well as people who normally do not collect Eskimo art. He believes that they are universally accepted and appeal to a mass majority. Scholar, George Swinton, compared him to Henry Moore who is a well-known English artist famous for his sculptures. Contents move to sidebar hide.

Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. Karoo Ashevak. Kitikmeot Region. Early life [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Media [ edit ]. Ashevak and the art market [ edit ]. Works and shamanism [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Achievements [ edit ]. Exhibitions [ edit ]. Collections [ edit ].

Further reading [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Retrieved March 20, Upstairs Gallery. Retrieved Karoo Ashevak also known as Mungnelli was born in in the Kitimeot, central Arctic region, of what is now known as Nunavut. He lived in the community of Taloyoak, near Spence Bay. He grew up following the traditional Inuit lifestyle and beliefs.

In , he and his wife Doris settled in Taloyoak. At the time, stone and other carving media were scarce.