Manasie Akpaliapik


Manasie Akpaliapik is a Canadian Inuit sculptor.
Akpaliapik was born in Baffin Island and lived with his family in Arctic Bay from 1967. He was sent to school in Iqaluit but never graduated. Instead, he got married and returned to Arctic Bay. His wife and two children were killed in a fire in 1980, after which Akpaliapik moved to Montreal and subsequently to Toronto.

Work

Akpaliapik sculpts with bone, ivory, and stone. His sculptures typically have human or animal forms and are closely connected with traditional beliefs. He learned carving from his family and started to carve professionally after 1980. In 1989, he received a government grant to study certain aspects of Inuit culture. He also delivers workshops about Inuit art.

Exhibitions and collections

In 2017, the Art Gallery of Ontario held a solo exhibition of his work.
Akpaliapik's works are in included in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.