Tony Oqutaq
Cape Dorset
Tony Oqutaq was born in Iqualuit, Nunavut in 1977 in Iqaluit. Tony is an emerging artist carving in the Baffin Island style. This style is known for its naturalism and high polished finish. Tony’s chooses to depict wildlife native to the Arctic, but has a particular fondness for the polar bear. He has been carving bears from serpentine stone quarried near his home for more than 12 years.
Tony’s carving style lends itself to a stylized realism. His figures are enchanting reflections of their real-life counterparts. His Polar Bear carvings in particular often convey a figure deep in focus – on the scent of their hunt.
Tony is one of the many Iqaluit artists practicing an ancestral carving style. He and many others from this region make their livelihood representing and interpreting the daily life of the people and creatures who inhabit the Arctic; a unique and magical area still deeply rooted in culture and tradition.