Collections

Born in 1955 in a hunting camp near Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay, NU), Manasie Akpaliapik is a prominent artist currently based in Ontario, renowned for his detailed, evocative sculpture in organic materials such as whalebone.

His parents Lazaroosee Akpaliapik and Nakyuraq Akpaliapik were both carvers, though Akpaliapik was first exposed to carving from his adopted grandparents Peter and Elisapee Kanangnaq Ahlooloo and great-aunt Paniluk Qamanirq. Observing their techniques, Akpaliapik began learning to carve by practicing on leftover materials around age ten.

Dedicated to growing his artistic abilities, Akpaliapik attended Red River College in Winnipeg before participating in an apprenticeship in Montreal. Akpaliapik’s early sculptures were highly representational but as his technical skills increased, he added depictions of Inuit legends and myths. Akpaliapik depicts human connection to animals, Inuit legends and shamanism, as well as social issues threatening Inuit communities. He also incorporates elements of his own personal narrative, seeing carving as a healing practice. His work searches for balance between all living things.

Inuit Art Quarterly featured Akpaliapik’s work on the Spring 1990 cover and in Winter 1993. In 1995, he was the subject of Cathy Gulking’s CBC documentary Cry of the Ancestors: The Art of Manasie Akpaliapik. His works are a part of numerous major collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Museum of History, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, among others, and the National Gallery of Canada, where he introduced the gallery collection to a record crowd, and was featured in a short film: “Meet the Experts,” in conversation with John Houston. He was a 2021 nominee for the Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award. His work has appeared in group and solo exhibitions in public and commercial galleries across Canada and abroad, and his major solo retrospective, “Inuit Universe,” is currently on view in Quebec City at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ).