Manasie Akpaliapik
Manasie Akpaliapik
1955 -
Settlement: Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) / Toronto / Ottawa

Manasie Akpaliapik is an Inuit sculptor whose work engages the traditions and culture of his people in an attempt to preserve them. Akpaliapik was born in a hunting camp on northern Baffin Island in 1955, and in 1967 settled with his family in Arctic Bay. Akpaliapik was raised in a family of artists - his parents and grandparents were sculptors. When he was about ten years old, his grandparents and maternal great aunt Paniluk Qamanirq began to teach him how to carve. He learned mostly by watching, while listening to his elders recounting Inuit legends and stories.

When he was 12, Akpaliapik was sent to a residential school in Iqaluit and faced restrictions in practicing the traditional beliefs of his people and speaking his native Inuktitut language. Life at the school greatly impacted his psyche - he left the school at 16, moved back to Arctic Bay and married. In 1980 he suffered a tremendous loss when his wife and two children died in a house fire. Barely managing to cope with this devastation, he struggled with alcoholism. Art became a lifeline and he moved to Montreal, where he began to improve and fine tune his sculpting skills, learning how to carve intricate details.

Akpaliapik’s sculptures emerge from stone as well as organic materials such as ivory, antlers and whale bone. To create them, he seeks out and uses the unique shape, structure and texture of the material he is using. For example, a whale vertebrate morphs into the shape of an owl and the naturally occurring features of antlers become the vehicle for his own characteristic mark making. One can find expressive depictions of humans and animals in his work, but also complex and personal narrations, as he reflects on the contemporary and historic challenges faced by his people and their environment. Some of his most powerful works can be viewed in the round, as the viewer is continuously confronted by the unfurling of faces within the rough and rigid textures of the organic materials he uses. In The Effects of Colonization, Past and Present for example, a narrative unfolds, with scenes of hunting and church gatherings giving insight to Akpaliapik’s culture and personal past. The imagery on the back of the piece alludes to the artist’s personal journey and the tribulations he overcame. In 1989 he received a Canada Council grant to return to Arctic Bay to study drum dancing, kayak making and to further research the stories and legends told by elders. He has also given back to the community through frequently offering sculpture workshops.

In the last few decades, Akpaliapik’s work has gained more visibility and prominence. In 1995 he was the subject of Cathy Gulking's documentary Cry of the Ancestors: The Art of Manasie Akpaliapik, and the film won a Gemini Award. In 2014 he had a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Akpaliapik has exhibited his work in various national and international art institutions, and is represented in many important collections, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.

Disc number E5-1155
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Shaman with Spirit Helpers by Manasie Akpaliapik sold for $3,125
Manasie Akpaliapik
Shaman with Spirit Helpers
14 x 9 x 23 in, 35.6 x 22.9 x 58.4 cm
whalebone sculpture
Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000 CDN
Sold for: $3,125 CDN (premium included)
Inuit Art | Part One on Thursday, February 24, 2022
Owl by Manasie Akpaliapik sold for $1,250
Manasie Akpaliapik
Owl
24 x 9 x 10 in, 61 x 22.9 x 25.4 cm
whalebone, caribou antler, stone, inset eyes
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,250 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, February 28, 2019