Lot 95
ABRAHAM ANGHIK RUBEN, O.C. (1951-), PAULATUK / SALT SPRING ISLAND, B.C.
Bird Shaman, 1997
stone, 24.5 x 34 x 14 in (62.2 x 86.4 x 35.6 cm)
signed and dated: “ANGHIK ‘97”.

Provenance
Important Private Collection, Ontario;
Their sale, Heffel, Toronto, 16 August 2021, Lot 232;
Acquired from the above by the present Manitoba Collection.

Michelangelo is famously quoted as saying “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” During interviews, most Inuit sculptors describe a similar approach, studying the rock until it suggests what might be contained therein. As a result, most Inuit sculptures are monolithic (barring complementary implements or the occasional base). As discussed in Lot 34, Anghik eschews the traditional approach to art making and his creativity is not restrained by the limitations of his raw material.

In this elegant sculpture Anghik has imagined something for which he literally needed to think outside the block of stone. This striking shaman transformation is constructed from numerous smaller elements set into the central humanoid torso. It is interesting to note that these appendages are all the same stone as opposed to contrasting coloured or textured materials. In theory, the same piece could be carved en bloc from a larger piece of stone, had Anghik had access to such a piece. Better, however, to carve the individual pieces, which can be shipped more safely. Please note: Some Assembly Required!

As a mature artist, Anghik has developed a hybrid personal style that, over the years, has fused Inuit/Inuvialuit, Northwest Coast, and even Viking traditions. In this sculpture one also senses the influence of Christian imagery. The outspread wings of the raven-shaman resemble depictions of Jesus with arms opened wide in a gesture of love and protection. Bird-Shaman is a truly impressive work, both artistically and as a feat of engineering.

References: See the article “Where We Go From Here: Four Generations and the New Arctic Reality” by the artist in Inuit Art Quarterly (Vol. 30, No 3, Fall 2017), pp. 54-63. For more works by the artist, see Abraham Anghik Ruben, Rocco Pannese and Cosimo Stifani, Abraham Anghik Ruben, (Kipling Gallery: Vaughan, Ontario, 2016); Abraham Anghik Ruben and Rocco Pannese, Abraham Anghik Ruben : The World of Man Animals and Spirits, (Kipling Gallery: Vaughan, Ontario, 2014); Abraham Anghik Ruben and Darlene Coward Wight, Abraham Anghik Ruben, (Winnipeg Art Gallery: Winnipeg, 2001). See also Darlene Coward Wight, Out of Tradition: Abraham Anghik / David Ruben Piqtoukun, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1989).