Axangayu Shaa
Axangayu Shaa, Sedna with braids, c. 1965
4 3/4 x 12 x 3 3/4 in.
This genial sedna is typical of Axangayu's use of swelling forms. The mid-1960s were a time when Cape Dorset artists were experimenting with fantasy creatures, and the sedna bridges fantasy and traditional subjects.
03526-1
Axangayu Shaa, Igloo scene, 1981
Serpentine, ivory, sinew, 8 1/2 x 12 x 12 in. (21.6 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm)
The igloo is composed of separate blocks of serpentine, glued and pegged on the inside. An ivory kayak is sitting on a komatik (sled) and mounted on pegs on the side of the igloo. A frame for stretching skins and a sealskin float are also mounted on pegs. (Such items were mounted on the igloo in order to keep them away from the dogs.) In front of the igloo, a man runs to meet a woman who is carrying a pot, while three dogs wait nearby. A pair of kamiks (boots) is drying on a rack in the background. The igloo is signed by Axangayu in syllabics, and the figures are miniature versions of his larger sculptures, undoubtedly by his hand.
01740-1