Ashevak Tunnilie

(1956-2018)

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Style description: Strong, with a concentration on form and movement as opposed to detail, and hence more sculptural in appearance. Conscious of the interplay between positive and negative space in his work.

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Tunnilie really started carving only in 1982. In that year, he moved his family from Cape Dorset to the outpost camp of Aqiatulaulavik, where he had spent the early years of his life.

When Ashevak first started making carvings, they were small and varied in subject matter. However, because his large walking bears are so much in demand, he is carving them almost exclusively these days. 

Having lived much of his life in a camp, Ashevak possesses an intimate knowledge of polar bears. He has seen many of them and he likes them.

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Exhibition:

His work has been widely exhibited since 1984 in Canada, the United States, and France.

His work has been featured on the cover of the North West Company magazine.