Lot 242: JOHN TIKTAK (1916-1981), E1-266, Rankin Inlet

JOHN TIKTAK (1916-1981), E1-266, Rankin Inlet HUNCHED FIGURE, stone, signed in syllabics, 12.5" x 8" x 6" - 31.8 x 20.3 x 15.2 cm.

Provenance: Collection of James Houston. By descent to the present owner. Private Collection. Note: Tiktak began caving after he suffered a serious hip injury while working in Kangiqsliniq (Rankin Inlet) nickel mine. While he was recovering in hospital, a nurse told him that he could earn some money by carving, so that is what he did. In 1963, Tiktak committed himself to being a professional carver, working with a few specific images, including mother and child, single seated and standing figures, and heads. Tiktak's work is further characterized by a complete absence of hands and by animated faces with features which, over the years have become more and more deeply incised. Auger, Emily E. The Way of the Inuit Art: Aesthetics and History in and Beyond the Arctic. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., 2005, p. 116.