Manasie Akpaliapik. Inuit Universe

Immersion in the legends of the Far North

Montreal, October 2, 2024. – From October 4, 2024, to March 9, 2025, the McCord Stewart Museum welcomes Manasie Akpaliapik. Inuit Universe. This exhibition – organized and circulated by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and adapted by the McCord Stewart Museum – is devoted to the contemporary artist from Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) on Baffin Island (Nunavut). Featuring sculptures from the remarkable Inuit art collection of the late Raymond Brousseau, it offers a unique insight into the work of Manasie Akpaliapik. Considered one of the most gifted artists of his generation, he uses his favourite materials – whale bone, caribou antler and stone – to create works inspired by oral tradition, cultural values, the supernatural world, and the wildlife and environment of the Arctic.

Drawing from the mythology of the world of snow and ice in which he grew up, the artist turns to nature for inspiration and raw material, from which his unique, captivating and multidimensional works emerge spontaneously. Manasie Akpaliapik doesn’t plan what his works will look like; he combines materials, and a sculpture, a narrative, emerges. His fascination with whale bone – his medium of choice, though particularly rare and difficult to access – adds to the uniqueness of his work.

Object Photographs

Drawing from the mythology of the world of snow and ice in which he grew up, the artist turns to nature for inspiration and raw material, from which his unique, captivating and multidimensional works emerge spontaneously. Manasie Akpaliapik doesn’t plan what his works will look like; he combines materials, and a sculpture, a narrative, emerges. His fascination with whale bone – his medium of choice, though particularly rare and difficult to access – adds to the uniqueness of his work.

For five decades, Manasie Akpaliapik’s creations have been objects of fascination. Visitors will discover forty of the artist’s sculptures in the exhibition, which tells a fragment of the story of the Inuit people and inspires reflection at a time when the relationship between humanity, nature, and climate is front of mind. Wildlife, the tales and legends of the North – the sea goddess Talilayuq and the sacred Owl – shamanism, the transmission of knowledge and the Arctic environment are embodied in a dazzling amalgam of materials that characterizes each of Manasie Akpaliapik’s creations.

“A virtuoso with hammer and chisel, Manasie Akpaliapik is without doubt one of the most important sculptors of his generation. Equipped with both a masterful sense of material and technical perfection, the artist has succeeded in infusing his work with a highly personal reaction to the upheavals and transformations of his world, the Canadian Far North, and the people around him. At once humble, simple and reserved, Manasie transforms the bones found in the Arctic soil into inspiring stories. His mission: to transmit a sense of pride to succeeding generations,” says Daniel Drouin, curator of the exhibition.

Between north and south

Manasie Akpaliapik grew up in Irpiarjuk on Baffin Island. He migrated to southern Canada (Montreal, then the Greater Toronto Area) in the 1980s. Although he works from his studio in the “South,” his materials come almost exclusively from the Far North. Every year, Manasie returns to the region where he was born to collect materials for his sculptures. His creative process hinges on the use and combination of materials gathered from the ground. The forty works presented in the exhibition – with a few exceptions – are entirely made from a combination of materials collected during his annual trips to Nunavut. As he explains: “My art helps me preserve my connection between north and south, and thus helps me find my place between the Western world and Inuit culture.”

Exhibition views

Art as salvation

While Manasie Akpaliapik’s work reflects Inuit history and traditions, it also touches on his own personal story, with a profoundly human and universal sensitivity. Art becomes a means of expressing the challenges he has had to overcome, but also of externalizing the demons he has long battled. In his words: “When life gets really tough, my art is always there to pull me up.” His exceptional work demonstrates the influence of contemporary art and Inuit culture.

“As the custodians of a collection that bears witness to nearly 12,000 years of Indigenous history and presence on the land, the McCord Stewart Museum has long worked to highlight the vitality and diversity of contemporary Inuit, First Nations and Métis artists. Thanks to our collaboration with the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, we are delighted to be able to present the work of Manasie Akpaliapik, who is unquestionably one of the greats of his generation,” says Anne Eschapasse, President and CEO.

Manasie Akpaliapik

With a career spanning four decades and art displayed in institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Civilization, and several private galleries, Manasie has created art inspired by his deep love for animals and for Inuit legends  and their narratives in which the relationship between humans and animals is one of mutual respect.

Manasie is a practised drum dancer, drum maker and is versed in kayak building. He continues to travel to the Arctic every year to search the shores for ancient whalebones and to connect with his family and community. He enjoys passing the Inuit legends to the younger generation and works tirelessly to keep the oral tradition of storytelling alive.

Credits

Exhibition organized and circulated by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, adapted by the McCord Stewart Museum.

Artist: Manasie Akpaliapik

Curator: Daniel Drouin, Curator of Ancient Art and Head of the Inuit Art Collection from 2005 to 2020, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

Storytelling and writing of exhibition texts and labels: Manasie Akpaliapik, Annie Akpaliapik and Daniel Drouin

Set and graphic design: Marie-France Grondin, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, adapted by Guillaume Kukucka and David Martin

Project management: Catherine K. Laflamme, Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions, McCord Stewart Museum

Tour coordinator: Yasmée Faucher, Head of Museography, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec thanks the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) for the loan of the whale vertebrae.

Download documents

Press release PDF
Press release WORD

Press images

Object photographs
Exhibition views
Portrait(s) of Manasie Akpaliapik