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Isaci Etidloie

Load Photo Courtesy Spirit Wrestler Gallery

Biography

Isaci Etidloie (1972 – 2014) was a sculptor from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Inspired by the artistic legacy left by his father, Etulu Etidloie, and his grandparents, Etidlooie Etidlooie (1910 – 1981) and Kingmeata Etidlooie (1915 – 1989), Isacci picked up his first set of hand tools at the age of seven. Like many other artists, his earlier works are filled with figures engaged in the daily practices of nomadic Inuit life: hunting, fishing, cooking or sewing [1]. Drawing upon the influence of his father’s profession as an Inuit folk singer, Etidloie often explored themes that were expressed through song such as drum dancing, supernatural stories and elaborate spirit transformations, alongside everyday objects and activities [2].

Showcasing the interactive quality of his work, Etidloie’s piece Singing Spirit (2003), depicts a shaman’s song producing a spirit face. This longer spirit stone, fitted with a mirror, emerges from the shaman’s open mouth, offering the admirer an opportunity to completely pull the portion out and a reveal a reflection of their self. While he enjoyed working on larger pieces, Etidloie also created much smaller items with practical uses. Jewellery boxes, harpoons and pen holders are just some examples of what can be found in his oeuvre. Etidloie’s technical skills further appear in his pieces where multiple materials have been employed. His later work offers up layered constructions that are enlivened not only by contrasting colours and textures but also by expertly balanced forms [3].

Etidloie’s sculptures have travelled in exhibitions throughout Canada, the United States and Europe since the 1990s, including Dezhan Ejan (2004) at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC and at the Gemeentelijk Kunstcentrum Inuit art show in Belgium (1994). His works are featured in a number of permanent collections such as the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, ON, and the Canada Council Art Bank in Ottawa, ON.



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

Le sculpteur Isaci Etidloie choisit son premier ensemble d’outils à main à l’âge de sept ans, gravant initialement des figures engagées dans les pratiques quotidiennes de la vie nomade des Inuits. Basé à Kinngait (Cape Dorset), au Nunavut, il explore les thèmes du chant, comme la danse du tambour, les histoires surnaturelles et les métamorphoses spirituelles élaborées, s’inspirant de son père, Etulu Etidloie, un chanteur folk de métier qu’il a immortalisé dans sa création de 2002, Portrait of My Father, un cadre ciselé en relief. Ses œuvres se distinguent par leur caractère ludique et leur ingéniosité, représentant aussi bien des activités traditionnelles, comme la chasse, la pêche et la danse du tambour, que des activités insolites dans l’art inuit, comme la pièce Gymnast (2018) dont l’équilibre exceptionnel semble presque défier la gravité. Les œuvres d’Isaci Etidloie ont été présentées lors de l’exposition Sculpture inuite d’aujourd’hui (2007), au Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, avec celles de 15 de ses pairs de l’Inuit Nunangat et se trouvent aujourd’hui dans plusieurs grandes collections publiques, notamment celles de la Banque d’œuvres d’art du Conseil des Arts du Canada, du Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario et du Musée des beaux-arts de Winnipeg.
ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑎ ᐃᓴᑭ ᐃᑎᓪᓗᐃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓴᓇᕐᕈᑎᓂᒃ ᑎᒍᓯᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᕕᓂᓖᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᖅᑐᓂ, ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓅᓯᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᑕᒫᑦ ᑭᖑᕚᕗᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂᑦ. ᑭᙵᓂ (ᑮᑉ ᑐᐊᓯᑦ), ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᐃᑎᓪᓗᐃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓂᐱᓂᒃ, ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᕿᓚᐅᑎᓅᖅᑐᑦ, ᐊᖓᒃᑯᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓂᕐᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᙳᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓕᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓᓂᑦ ᐊᑖᑕᒥᓂᑦ, ᐃᑐᓗ ᐃᑎᓪᓗᐃ, ᐃᙱᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᖁᓚᙱᑦᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖓᓂ 2002 ᐊᔾᔨᙳᐊᖅ ᐊᑖᑕᒐ, ᑕᑯᔅᓴᐅᓂᖓ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᕙᓗᖃᖅᑐᓂ. ᐃᑎᓪᓗᐃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᓴᖅᓯᐅᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᒃ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᕆᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᙳᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐊᓯᕙᕐᓂᖅ, ᐃᖃᓪᓕᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᓚᐅᑎᒨᖅᑐᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᙳᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᑯᔪᒥᓇᙱᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᓂ, ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐱᖃᐃᓕᓴᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᒃ (2018) ᑐᑭᓕᐊᙳᐊᕐᓗᒍ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᖓᔫᔮᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᐃᑎᓪᓗᐃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᐊᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᖏᑦ ᒫᓐᓇ (2007) ᐃᓚᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ 15 ᐱᖃᓐᓈᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓂᙶᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓂᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᑲᓇᑕ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᑦ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᒃᑯᕝᕕᒃ, ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᔫ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕕᓂᐲᒃ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᒐᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᒐᓐᓈᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ.

Artist Work

About Isaci Etidloie

Medium:

Sculpture

Artistic Community:

Kinngait, Nunavut, Inuit Nunangat

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.

1972

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.

2014

Igloo Tag Certified

The Igloo Tag Trademark is an internationally recognized symbol that denotes handmade, original artwork made by Inuit artists in Canada. Established in 1958, the Trademark is now managed by the Inuit Art Foundation. The appearance of the Igloo Tag on an artist profile means they have had the Trademark applied to their artwork.
Exhibition

Small Sculptures by Great Artists, 2016

Publication

In Memoriam: Isaci Etidloie, 2014

Filmography

Stories from Our Land Vol. 2 - Taking Shape, 2013

Public Collection

Art Gallery of Ontario