With a career spanning 4 decades and art displayed in institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Civilization, and several private galleries, Manasie has created art inspired by his deep love for animals, Inuit legends, and their respectful relationship between humans and animals.
Manasie is a practiced drum dancer, drum maker and is versed in kayak building. He continues to travel to the Arctic every year to search the shores for ancient whalebones and to connect with his family and community. He enjoys passing the Inuit legends to the younger generation and works tirelessly to keep the oral tradition of storytelling alive.
“Everything that I am doing is trying to capture some of the culture about our traditions, about simple things like hunting, wearing traditional clothing, and using legends. I feel that the only way we can preserve the culture is if people see it." Manasie Akpaliapik
ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ 40-ᓄᑦ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᓄᓪᓗ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕝᕕᐅᔪᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕕᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᖃᔅᓯᑲᓪᓚᑦ ᐃᓛᒃᑰᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒐᖃᕐᕖᑦ, ᒫᓇᓯ ᓴᖅᑭᑦᑎᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑲᔪᖏᖅᓴᐅᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᖕᓂᒃ ᓂᕐᔪᑎᓄᑦ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓂᕐᔪᑎᓄᑦ.
ᒫᓇᓯ ᕿᓚᐅᔾᔭᖅᑎᐅᕗᖅ, ᕿᓚᐅᔾᔭᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᔭᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ. ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒨᖃᑦᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᕿᓂᕆᐊᖅᑐᖅᑐᓂ ᓯᒡᔭᒥ ᐊᕐᕕᕕᓂᑐᖃᕐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᑕᙳᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᑎᖏᓐᓄᓪᓗ ᑲᑎᖃᑎᖃᕆᐊᖅᑐᖅᑐᓂ. ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒍᓱᒃᑐᖅ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᖅᑎᑦᑎᔭᕆᐊᒃᓴᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᖕᓂᖅᓴᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕙᒃᖢᓂᓗ ᑕᖃᓱᐃᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᑦ ᐆᒪᑏᓐᓇᕋᓱᒃᖢᒋᑦ.
"ᑭᓱᓕᒫᑦᑎᐊᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᔭᒃᑲ ᖃᐅᔨᓇᓱᒃᖢᒋᑦ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᕗᑦ, ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑭᑦᑐᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᖕᓂᖅ, ᐊᓐᓄᕌᖅᓯᒪᓂᖅ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᑐᕐᓂᖅ ᓱᓕᔪᓂᒃ. ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᒃᐳᖓ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐊᓯᐅᑎᑦᑎᑦᑕᐃᓕᒪᔪᓐᓇᕋᑦᑕ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᐅᒃᐸᑕ." ᒫᓇᓯ ᐊᒃᐸᓕᐊᐱᒃ
One of Canada's greatest Inuit sculptors, Manasie Akpaliapik, will be in the spotlight starting Friday at the Musée National Des Beaux-Arts Du Québec. A residential school student survivor, the artist made it his mission to bring back into to the forefront a culture that was doomed to disappear.
Renowned Inuk artist Manasie Akpaliapik comes from a family of carvers in Arctic Bay, Nunavut. When he was nine, he sold his first carving to the Hudson's Bay Company for a box of Carnation milk and a toy gun. Today his works are in art gallery collections across Canada. This film by Shelby Lisk, winner of TVO's 2019 Short Short Doc Award, explores how Akpaliapik shares his culture and relationship to the land through his carvings.
Manasie in conversation with filmmaker John Houston about his craft and Inuit art. This video was created in the studio of the National Gallery of Canada.
JUNE 18, 2021 TO FEBRUARY 12, 2023
Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec
The Manasie Akpaliapik Inuit Universe exhibition, the Musée proposes to his visitors a selection of 40 sculptures forged between 1997 and 20...
Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec
Manasie Akpaliapik | ᒫᓇᓯ ᐊᒃᐸᓕᐊᐱᒃ
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