Lot description
JOHN KAVIK (1897-1993) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET) Mother and Child, c. early-mid 1970s stone, 9.25 x 6.5 x 4.25 in (23.5 x 16.5 x 10.8 cm) apparently unsigned. Provenance Collection of Mr. Stanley and Mrs. Jean Zazelenchuk. No stranger to this definition of familial love, Kavik’s Mother and Child carries both a mass and a tenderness in its depiction. Carved as a compact block, as is Kavik’s way, the child’s head almost sprouts from the mother’s back, snug in her amautiq with the hood down to expose the child’s face. The mother’s features are simple, defined by decisive cuts in the stone. Tool marks and other irregular textures in the stone remain visible, and through them smiles come forward, complementing the curves of the stone, and they add a layer of softness to the scene despite the material. AC References: For an appreciation of the artist and his work see Stanley Zazelenchuk, “Kavik: The Man and the Artist” in Arts & Culture of the North, (Vol. IV, No. 2 Spring 1980), pp. 219-221.