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Qinuajua, Eli Sallualu

Qinuajua, Eli Sallualu

Nunavik

(1937–2004)

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Qinuajua, Eli Sallualu

(1937–2004)

Eli Sallualu Qinuajua (1937-2004) was born at Iisisjuvik and has lived in the Puvirnituq area all his life, except for two periods spent in a southern sanatorium for tuberculosis in the 1960s. When he returned home, he found that he no longer had the physical endurance to hunt, and he turned to carving to support his family. As a youth, he had spent much time with his father, Qinuajua, who was considered one of the greatest story-tellers of the region. From him, Qinuajua learned the ancient legends, and himself became an accomplished actor, mimic, and story-teller. However, his carvings go beyond the traditional stories. He has explained: “What I do best is carvings of things that come from inside my head and which are difficult to understand.”

In 1967, he won the top prize of $50 in a carving competition held in Puvirnituq. The competition was in response to carvers’ complaints that they were tired of just carving animals and people all the time. In this competition, they were encouraged to carve anything they wanted. He and several other carvers in Puvirnituq continued to create representations of dreams, fears, and spirits and many of those in the WAG collection were featured in an exhibition, Inuit Fantastic Art in 2014.

Spirits

1978
stone
26.5 x 25.5 x 16 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Gift of Dr. Harry Winrob
2006-392

  • Spirits

    About

    Spirits

    Spirits

    Eli Sallualu Qinuajua once explained that “What I do best is carvings of things that come from inside my head and which are difficult to understand.” Even while looking directly at his sculptures, it is very hard to understand what they are depicting. Sallualu’s spirit sculptures often bear resemblance to some European surrealist art, yet they remain rooted in the Inuit tradition of giving physical form to the invisible and imagining the shape-shifting possibilities of transformation.


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    Heather Igloliorte Discusses Transformation

    Heather Igloliorte Discusses Transformation


  • The Harry Winrob Collection

    About

    The Harry Winrob Collection

    The Harry Winrob Collection

    In 2006, a major collection of 246 sculptures was donated to the Gallery by Vancouver collector Dr. Harry Winrob. Originally from Winnipeg, Winrob had made occasional purchases of Inuit carvings beginning in 1968. He became interested in seriously collecting Inuit sculpture in 1971, and soon focused on acquiring works made of organic materials from game animals (whalebone, walrus ivory, and caribou antler). Fifty-four sculptures in Winrob’s collection are created from organic materials, and thirty-six of these are of whale bone. Winrob once gave his background as a physician as the reason for his interest in these materials. However, much of his interest was also aesthetic. He was particularly interested in the flamboyant sculpture by Nattilingmiut (Netsilik) artists from Taloyoak, Gjoa Haven, and Kugaaruk. Sculpture with shamanic content fascinated him, particularly animal/human transformations. He explained that it was not the “classic” but the atypical, even the bizarre that held a strong attraction for him. In March 2008, Harry Winrob’s collection was the subject of a major WAG exhibition and catalogue.


  • Spirits

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    Spirits

    Spirits