Mattiusi Iyaituk

Canadian, b. 1950

Old Qulliq Being Carried by a Woman, 2000

stone, marble, caribou antler, muskox hair, sinew

64 x 34 x 16.5 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from George William Battershill in memory of his wife Helen Battershill and with funds from an anonymous donor

2002-69

Categories:

Sculpture, Inuit

Since he began carving in the early 1960s, Mattiusi Iyaituk has established an international reputation for his innovative and witty sculpture. In the late 1970s he developed a unique, abstract style that was inspired by early Inukjuak sculptures of the 1950s featuring inlaid ivory faces. In later years he has worked on a larger scale in a range of materials. He usually inscribes whimsical titles on his carvings, which he sees as simply a starting point for a viewer. Old Qulliq Being Carried By a Woman is a visual pun. The qulliq, which suggests the body of the woman, is a real stone lamp that was found on the land near Ivujivik. Besides creating an innovative composition, the artist is also revealing his attachment to his traditional culture.