Antler Doll, c. 1990
by Luke Anowtalik (1932-2006), Inuit
Ennadai Lake, Nunavut, Canada
caribou antler, sinew
3" high x 1 1/4" wide x 2" deep
Luke Anowtalik was a celebrated artist from an Ihalmiut camp near Ennadai Lake, Nunavut. Anowtalik is known for creating small figures out of caribou antler, amorphous stone sculptures of families, and colorful colored pencil drawings. His works have been viewed as minimalist in form and surrealist in content.
Anowtalik began carving figures out of caribou antler with his figures often slightly polished and mainly featuring the cortical exterior surface of the bone. Anowtalik removes most of the outermost layer to reveal the underlying white color using the remaining dark cortex to highlight features and define edges. Faces are engraved on a slightly angled plane using tiny holes to represent the eyes and mouth and a small protruding nose, overall altering the original form of the antler very little.
In contrast to the subject matter of his antler work Anowtalik’s stone sculpture frequently revolves around the themes of family, community and the relationship of people to non-human beings. Given the infamous hardness of stone from Arviat Anowtalik’s sculpture has been significantly worked and deeply carved. During the 1970s Anowtalik produced some of his most impressive works alongside his wife with much of their work consisting of abstracted compositions of multiple heads and expressions carved in relief from stone. Some of his stone figures also have incised images, such as the piece Mother and Child (late 1960s) with a caribou hunting scene on the right profile.
Towards the end of Anowtalik’s life he began to create bright, colourful pictures ranging from abstract compositions to realistic portrayals of caribou and aspects of daily life. His works are held in the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, QC, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON.
