Aqjangajuk Shaa
(1937–)
(–2019)
Aqjangajuk Shaa
1937–2019
Aqjangajuk Shaa (1937–2019) was an Inuit artist and sculptor born at Shartoweetuk camp near Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut. Aqjangajuk began carving as a teenager. His notable work includes a pink granite inuksuk that currently stands at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, UK. Aqjangajuk is the grandson of sculptor and printmaker Kiakshuk. He is the son of carver Munamee Shaa and graphic artist Paunichea. His wife, Kilabuk Shaa, and their sons Pudalik, Qiatsuq, and Qavavau Shaa are carvers in Kinngait. In 2003, Aqjangajuk was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Known for his stone carving, Aqjangajuk depicted northern animals such as caribou, bear, and walrus in a dynamic state of motion, often focusing on the overall effect of the work rather than rendering particular details. He also frequently featured transformation scenes in his large-scale works. In his youth, Aqjangajuk experimented with printmaking, producing one stonecut print in 1961 titled Wounded Caribou. Despite the print’s success in the 1961 Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection, Aqjangajuk preferred the physical process of carving.
Aqjangajuk has had numerous solo exhibitions and has been included in many group exhibitions across Canada, the United States, and Europe. His work is included in the public collections at many major institutions, such as the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, the Musée des beaux-arts de Montreal, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, among others.