Inuit art: Whalebone (Baleen) Collage
Inuit Artist: Jamesie Alivaktuk
Size: 14" high, 8" wide, 7" deep
Community: Pangirtung, NU 11/242/25
Stone: bowhead whalebone, baleen
id: ndc-259-179466dijjy
** U.S. buyers cannot purchase this piece due to ivory and whale bone restrictions by the Canadian and US Government Customs. We ship only to a Canadian address.
**This Item is Eligible for Our 0% Interest Layaway Plan.
**Provenance: summer 2024 Jamesie Alivaktuk recently carved this stunning composition. This is the third whale bone carving he has presented to us this year.
Complex story telling in bone.
Masterpiece Carving! Museum quality Sculpture!
Some of the most inspirational Inuit art is carved using whalebone and ivory.
For me, the inspiration of AFTAN is the imagination and the ability of an artist to create a piece with such complexity and beauty.
Bone is a medium that demands the artist to work within its strict boundaries.
A bony prominence or a large hole must be seen as a deliberate part of the PLAN and not an obstacle.
To say that James has met this parameter is an understatement.
AFTAN (gender neutral name meaning powerful, intellectual, and attractive) is a collage of an Inuk sheltering from the Arctic winds.
Also taking sheltering is a magnificent Polar Bear.
In the sky above is a depiction of an Orca, black and white arching through the water.
And above all this, are two Arctic terns flying in tandom to their next destination.
You can feel the wind on your face.
I have so much admiration for the talented carvers who are able to create such complex pieces of art.
You will find yourself feeling more and more awe struck as you discover the nooks and crannies of Jamesie's stunning piece.
PROUDLY CANADIAN SINCE 2007
We promise to send you only good things
