Shamen Performing
$9,950.00
Available
Description
‘Shamen Performing’ by Irene Avaalaaqiaq from Baker Lake — this 2011 original textile wall hanging is a magnificent, museum-scale 75 x 54-inch masterwork of hand-cut felt applique and narrative embroidery.
Condition: No condition to report.
Description by Artist: No description by artist found.
Notes from DaVic Gallery: ‘Shamen Performing’ is one of the most commanding large‑format textiles Irene Avaalaaqiaq produced during her mature period, and works of this monumental scale — 75 × 54 inches — have become exceptionally scarce on the market. As visible in the reference images, this nearly six‑foot‑tall composition is an institutional‑grade tour de force of contemporary Arctic expression. Constructed from hand‑cut wool felt appliqué and multi‑strand embroidery floss on a heavy slate‑grey wool duffle substrate, the textile achieves a crisp silhouette separation that allows its mythological figures to assert themselves with extraordinary graphic authority under gallery lighting.
Born on the land near the Kazan River, Irene Avaalaaqiaq Tiktaalaaq stands as one of the defining matriarchs of the Baker Lake (Qamani’tuaq) textile renaissance. Her works are held in major public collections worldwide — including the National Gallery of Canada, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Smithsonian Institution — and her large textiles have become increasingly difficult for collectors to acquire. Drawing from childhood memories and oral histories passed down by her grandparents, Avaalaaqiaq treats transformation not as a distant legend but as a living, continuous state of being. This textile embodies the Inuit principle of Tunnganarniq — fostering interconnectedness, belonging, and the dissolution of boundaries between humans, animals, and the spirit world.
To organize this cosmology, Avaalaaqiaq structures the composition into three spiritual strata drifting across the charcoal field:
- Upper Tier: Alternating crimson and grey avian spirits
- Middle Tier: Shamanic transformation figures and guiding helpers
- Terrestrial Base: Caribou Man, Caribou Woman, and protective zoomorphic spirits
The upper and middle registers feature bird‑human hybrids (Inuavatiat) arranged in a rhythmic cadence reminiscent of communal drum‑song pacing. Each figure is secured with continuous blanket stitches, whipstitches, and internal herringbone accents — techniques that provide tactile shading, structural depth, and symbolic references to spiritual anatomy or sacred plumage.
The narrative reaches its emotional and cultural apex at the terrestrial base. A central shaman (Angakkuk) in a deep black parka navigates the spirit realm, flanked by protective beings. Beneath them, Avaalaaqiaq invokes the foundational myths of Caribou Man (Tuktuviniq) and Caribou Woman, the primordial guardians who guide the herds essential to Inuit survival. One helper spirit bears a serene white stitched mask; the other, an ochre‑orange profile, anchoring the viewer’s gaze.
A discreet, stabilized five‑inch artist repair appears in the lower mid‑section — a hallmark of authentic Baker Lake textile practice, where makers intuitively adapted materials during creation. Such repairs add provenance, authority, and irreplaceable character to the work.
This mature‑period textile represents an increasingly rare opportunity to acquire a large‑format Avaalaaqiaq work of exceptional narrative depth. Monumental Baker Lake textiles of this calibre seldom surface on the market today, particularly those with such a fully realized cosmology and commanding visual presence. For collectors seeking a culturally significant centerpiece with strong long‑term desirability, this work stands out as an outstanding acquisition — the kind of textile that anchors a collection and becomes progressively harder to replace as institutional interest in Baker Lake material continues to grow.
The letter‑size (8.5 × 11 in) sheet visible in the final reference image provides immediate scale context, underscoring the monumental physical presence of this textile.
Copyright Note
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