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Aqjangajuk Shaa

Aqjangajuk Shaa
Photo John Paskievich

Biography

Aqjangajuk Shaa was a highly celebrated carver and artist from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Coming from an artistic family, Shaa began carving as a teenager and went on to have an impressive artistic career. Though taking up drawing and printmaking briefly as a young artist—with a single print included in the annual Cape Dorset Print Collection—Shaa later focused solely on carving [1].

Northern animals such as caribou, bear and walrus, often depicted in a dynamic state of motion, feature prominently in Shaa’s carvings. He also frequently featured transformation scenes in his large-scale works [2]. Shaa’s carvings incorporate and display the natural changes in the stones he used, using the shape of his figures to highlight the colour changes within the stone.

Shaa has had 11 solo exhibitions and been included in many group exhibitions across Canada, the United States and Europe in galleries ranging form the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York to the Centre Culturel Canadien in Paris, France. His works are included in the public collection of many institutions, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto and the Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal. In 2003, he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Shaa’s work has appeared multiple times in the Inuit Art Quarterly in addition to a variety of publications.



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

Aqjangajuk Shaa était un artisan sculpteur et un artiste très célèbre originaire de Kinngait (Cape Dorset), au Nunavut. Issu d’une famille d’artistes, Shaa a commencé à sculpter à l’adolescence, après quoi il s’est embarqué dans une carrière artistique distinguée. Bien qu’il ait brièvement fait du dessin et de la gravure en tant que jeune artiste – une seule de ses gravures étant comprise dans la collection annuelle de gravures de Cape Dorset – Shaa s’est ensuite concentré uniquement sur la sculpture. Les animaux du Nord tels que le caribou, l’ours et le morse, souvent représentés dans un état de mouvement dynamique, jouent un rôle prépondérant dans les sculptures de Shaa. Ses œuvres à grande échelle représentent souvent des scènes de transformation. Ses sculptures incorporent et affichent les variations naturelles dans la pierre qu’il utilisait, où la forme de ses personnages mettait en évidence les changements de couleur dans la pierre. Shaa a participé à 11 expositions solo ainsi qu’à plusieurs expositions collectives à travers le Canada, les États-Unis et l’Europe dans des galeries telles que le Metropolitan Museum of Art à New York et le Centre Culturel Canadien à Paris, en France. Ses œuvres se trouvent dans les collections publiques de nombreuses institutions, y compris le Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario à Toronto et le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, au Québec. En 2003, il a été élu à l’Académie royale des arts du Canada. Les œuvres de Shaa ont figuré à plusieurs reprises dans la revue Inuit Art Quarterly et dans diverses autres publications.
ᐊᕐᔮᖓᔪᖅ ᓵ ᐱᐅᒋᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᑭᓐᖓᓂ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ. ᐅᓇ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᖔᖅᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᐋᓗᖕᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑐᖅ, ᓵ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖃᑦᑕᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑑᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕈᑎᒋᖃᑦᑕᖅᖢᒋᑦ ᓴᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᒻᒪᕆᐋᓗᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᔭᒥᓄᑦ. ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᒥᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᒥᒍᑦ ᑭᓚᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑑᓪᓗᓂ – ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓚᓕᐅᑎᔭᐅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᑭᓐᖓᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᔪᓂ – ᓵ ᑭᖑᓂᐊᖑᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓗᑎᓕᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖃᑦᑕᑐᐃᓐᓇᓕᖅᖢᓕ. ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖅ ᓂᕐᔪᑎᖏᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᑐᒃᑐᐃᑦ, ᓇᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐃᕖᑦ, ᓴᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᓅᓕᒑᓪᓗᑎᒃ, ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᐅᓂᖅᐹᖏᑦ ᓵ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᒐᖏᑦ. ᓴᓇᐃᓐᓇᓲᖅᑕᐅᖅ ᑭᓱᕈᖑᐊᓕᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᖏᔫᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ. ᓵ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᐃᓚᓕᐅᑎᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᕿᑎᑦᑎᓲᖅ ᓄᓇᒥᑦ ᐊᓯᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᓲᖅ, ᑭᓱᖑᐊᓕᐊᕆᓪᓗᒍ ᒪᓕᒃᖢᒍ ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒃ ᑕᖅᓴᖏᓪᓗ ᐊᑕᔪᑦ ᐅᔭᖃᒥ. ᓵ 11-ᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑑᓪᓗᓂ ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖕᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖕᓂ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᔪᓇᐃᑎᑦ ᓯᑕᐃᑦᔅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᔫᓚᑉ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖏᓐᓂ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᒥᑐᐹᓕᑕᓐ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᖓ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ, ᓅ ᔮᒃ ᑕᐃᑯᖓᓗ ᕿᑎᐊ ᐱᓯᑐᖃᑦᑕ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᑦ ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᐱᐅᕆᔅ, ᕗᓛᓐᔅ. ᓴᓇᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᑎᒥᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂ, ᓲᕐᓗ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᓐᑎᐅᕆᐅ, ᑐᓛᓐᑐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊᒥ. ᑕᐃᑲᓂ 2003, ᓂᕈᐊᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐅᓗᔪ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᓵᑉ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᓴᕿᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓴᓇᖑᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖏᓐᓂ ᑕᐃᒃᑯᓇᓂᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᓂ.

Artist Work

About Aqjangajuk Shaa

Medium:

Graphic Arts, 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.


1937

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.

2019
The Igloo Tag Trademark
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.
Publication

59th Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection Released, 2018

Exhibition

Small Sculptures by Great Artists, 2015

Public Collection

Anchorage Museum of History and Art