A charming bird sculpture carved from a single piece of ivory.
Ivory
Approx. 25 x 3 x 13cm
Reg no. 7120Q
Ottokie Samayualie is the son of talented local artists Johnny and Kuluajuke Tunnillee. In Nunavut, it is not uncommon to see a recurring artistic talent in a family. Indeed, in this territory, talent, as well as artistic know-how, is transmitted from generation to generation rather than in an art academy.
Ottokie started sculpting at the age of 9. His favourite subject is the dancing bear, which he presents in many different poses. In his sculptures, we find a combination of abstract and realistic shapes.
His sculptures are made of the finest serpentine, then smoothed and polished to better show the brilliance of the stone. Serpentine is a rock similar in composition to jade and is found on Baffin Island. It is a very hard stone which requires more artistic virtuosity to carve than the softer soapstone.