Ohotaq mikkigak biography of williams
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- Ohotaq Mikkigak
Ohotaq was born in 1936 and lived in Cape Dorset with his wife Qaunak, who is a carver and traditional throat-singer. In the early fall of 2012, a number of his small- and large-scale drawings were exhibited alongside works of prominent Canadian abstract painter Jack Bush at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at the University of Toronto.
Artist Photo – Ohotaq Mikkigak
Name:
Ohotaq Mikkigak (1936 – 2014 )
Region:
Cape Dorset, Nunavut Territory, Canada
Ohotaq Mikkigak was born in 1936 and lived until his death in 2014 in Cape Dorset with his wife, Haunak (Qaunak), a well-known carver and traditional throat-singer.
Mikkigak began drawing in the early years of the print program in Cape Dorset, and his first print Eskimo Fox Trapper was released in 1961.
After his retirement from his job as caretaker of the Peter Pitseolak School in Cape Dorset, Ohotaq resumed his interest in drawing.
We were pleased to include three of his prints in the 40th anniversary collection released in 1999 and he was represented in every subsequent collection until his death in 2014. I used to enjoy hunting on the land, so that’s what I draw.
He left us a unique glimpse into the rich world of the Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic.
Ohotaq Mikkigak, ᒥᑭᒐ
Settlement: Cape Dorset / Kinngait
(1936-2014) — E7-1009
Ohotaq was born in 1936 and lived in Cape Dorset (Kinngait) with his wife Haunak (Quanaq), also a well-known carver, and traditional throat-singer.
One of such lithographs, Three Ravens, was featured on the cover of 2001 West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative catalogue.
Ohotaq Mikkigak had a number of well-received group and solo exhibitions. I’ve done a few drawings of shamans, although I’ve never seen one.
Mikkigak’s works were chosen to be featured alongside those of Jack Bush because of their bold, vivid colours and abstract-like quality. He became less involved with drawing as the community grew, working full time instead for various community agencies. The traditional technique uses delicate paper, such as Japanese paper or linen, cut to the size of the printing plate and pressed against a heavier backing sheet.
His works are also unique because his depictions of the Arctic do not focus on the barren landscapes but rather the aliveness of the world he saw around him, including landscapes, seascapes and human-made structures. His first solo exhibition of prints and drawings took place in 2010 at Feheley Fine Arts. He created drawings on a wide range of themes and subjects, such as fish, birds, landscapes, seascapes, life scenes, including autobiographical.
The two layers are then run together through a printing press on an inked plate, resulting in a delicate, finely textured backdrop to the image. Among his other works, we are pleased to offer three of the prints featured in Cape Dorset Studio’s 40th anniversary collection, released in 1999.
Mikkigak’s other notable works include three lithographs created using the chine-collé technique of print-making.
He became less involved with drawing as the community grew, working full time instead for various community agencies.
Exhibitions
- Canadian Eskimo Sculpture, Canadian Embassy
- Cape Dorset Graphics *61, (annual collection)
- Cape Dorset Printmaking 1959-1989, McMichael Canadian Collection
- Cape Dorset Revisited, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
- Cape Dorset Revisited - a collection of previously unreleased prints, exhibited at selected commercial galleries, organized by, West Baffin Eskimo Co-op
- Cape Dorset Sculpture, Eskimo Art Inc.
- Eskimo Sculpture '69, Robertson Galleries
- Graphic Art by Eskimos of Canada: Second Collection, Cultural Affairs Division, Department of External Affairs, Canada
- The Abbott Collection of Inuit Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery
- The Jacqui and Morris Shumiatcher Collection of Inuit Art, Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, University of Regina
Collections
- Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull
- Dennos Museum Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City
- Glenbow Museum, Calgary
- Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg
- Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg
Ohotaq Mikkigak
1936-2014
I enjoy doing colourful drawings, of people, animals, birds and especially the landscape.
Ohotaq began drawing in the early years of the print program in Cape Dorset, and his print, Eskimo Fox Trapper, was released in 1961. In November 2012, he had an encore solo exhibition at Feheley Fine Arts called Ohotaq Mikkigak: Imagined Landscapes.
Starting in 1999 until his death, Mikkigak’s prints and drawings appeared in every Cape Dorset Studio annual collection.
The remarkable quality drew parallels with modernist abstractionist works and garnered praise. In the later years, Ohotaq was a daily fixture at the table in the Kinngait Studios, working on drawings covering a wide range of themes and subjects, including an illustrated life history.
Ohotaq had his first solo exhibition of prints and drawings in 2010, and in 2012 a number of his large scale drawings were exhibited in a highly acclaimed show alongside venerable Canadian artist, Jack Bush, at the Justina M Barnicke Gallery at the University of Toronto.
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The highly acclaimed exhibit was called Blue Cloud – a third in a trilogy of exhibitions conceived by Nancy Campbell, Toronto-based curator.As the community grew, he stepped away from creating art, working instead for various community agencies as a full-time salaried employee.