Alex Alikashuak, who turned 50 last month, was born in Neultin Lake, N.W.T.and has resided in Rankin Inlet, Whale Cove, Arviat, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Although he learned to carve at an early age from established artists such as Tiktak, Kavik, and his cousin George Arluk, it was not until the early 1990s that he turned to carving as a profession. Prior to that, he was active in land claim efforts that eventually led to the creation of Nunavut. He is also an accomplished hunter and a trained pilot.

His widely respected work is collected and exhibited throughout the world. His sense of composition and creative use of negative space mark him as a virtuoso of stone carving without a hint of showiness. Although there is an abstract quality to most of his work, his themes are mainly traditional and many are related to traditional Inuit story and myth.

EWC, July 2002

Click here to go this artist's sculptures within the gallery.

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