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Isaac Oqutaq

Biography

Isaac Oqutaq is a carver from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. His father is the carver Innuki Oqutaq, and his uncle is Osuitok Ipeelee, the celebrated sculptor.

Oqutaq is known for his whale and inukshuk carvings. This Whale, among his others, shows Oqutaq’s fluid approach to form. With its lifted tail and serpentine body, it seems to be swimming lazily towards the view through water. In other whale sculptures, Oqutaq depicts mother and calf, usually swimming as a pair one on top of the other. His flowing, sinuous shapes recall both the agility of these enormous animals, and their dynamism in the water.

Oqutaq’s works have been displayed across Canada, most recently in the “Small Treasures” exhibition at the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver in 2017.



This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada.

Isaac Oqutaq est un artisan sculpteur originaire de Kinngait (Cape Dorset), au Nunavut. Son père était l’artisan sculpteur Innuki Oqutaq et son oncle était Osuitok Ipeelee, le célèbre sculpteur. Oqutaq est reconnu pour ses sculptures de baleines et d’inukshuks. Cette Baleine, par exemple, représente son approche souple à la forme. La queue élevée et le corps en serpentinite donnent à la baleine l’impression de nager de façon nonchalante. Les autres sculptures de baleine d’Oqutaq représentent la mère et son veau qui nagent généralement ensemble, l’une au-dessus de l’autre. Les formes fluides et sinueuses de ses sculptures rappellent à la fois l’agilité de ces énormes animaux et leur dynamisme dans l’eau. Les œuvres d’Oqutaq ont été exposées partout au Canada, récemment dans le cadre de l’exposition « Small Treasures » à l’Inuit Gallery of Vancouver en 2017.
ᐊᐃᓴᒃ ᐅᖁᑕᖅ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑎ ᑭᓐᖓᓂᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ. ᐊᑖᑕᖓ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑎ ᐃᓄᑭ ᐅᖁᑕᖅ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒃᑲᖓ ᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ ᐊᐃᐱᓕ, ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᐅᓂᖅᐹᖅ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑎ. ᐅᖁᑕᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᕈᑖ ᐊᕐᕕᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᒃᓱᖑᐊᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᓲᖅ. This Whale (ᐅᓇ ᐊᕐᕕᖅ), ᐊᓯᖏᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ, ᑕᑯᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᖁᑕᖅ ᑭᓱᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᑭᓱᖑᐊᖑᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ. ᑳᓐᓇ ᓯᖁᐊ ᖁᒧᖓᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᓂᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᒐᒃᓴᖅ ᑎᒥᖓ, ᓲᕐᓗ ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒃ ᐳᐃᔾᔪᕌᕋᓱᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᕿᐊᓱᒃᖢᓂ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᒐᕐᒥᒃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᑕᑯᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᑕᒪᐅᓐᓇ ᐃᒫᒍᑦ. ᐊᓯᖏᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐊᕐᕕᖑᐊᑦ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂ, ᐅᖁᑕᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᕆᑦᑎᐊᓲᖅ ᐊᓈᓇᖑᐊᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᑕᕋᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᑖᒃᑯᐊᓗ ᐳᐃᔾᔪᕋᓲᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᑦᑎᑰᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᖃᓕᕇᖑᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᑎᑎᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓ, ᓴᖑᖓᐅᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐋᕿᒃᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᖃᐃᑎᔾᔪᑎᑦ ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᖃᖏᑦᑎᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᖏᔪᒻᒪᕆᐋᓗᐃᑦ ᓂᕐᔪᑎᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᓲᖑᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᒫᓂ. ᐅᖁᑕᖅ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᒫᓐᓇᓵᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ “Small Treasures” (ᒥᑭᔪᑦ ᐊᓐᓂᕐᓇᖅᑐᑦ) ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑕᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖓ ᕚᓐᑰᕙᒥ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ 2017.

Artist Work

About Isaac Oqutaq

Medium:

Sculpture

Artistic Community:

Kinngait, Nunavut, Inuit Nunangat

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

Artists may have multiple birth years listed as a result of when and where they were born. For example, an artist born in the early twentieth century in a camp outside of a community centre may not know/have known their exact date of birth and identified different years.

Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU
06 April 1957
Exhibition

Small treasures, 2017