7" Lying Bear by Louie Uttaq

Inuit art: Walking Bear 
Inuit Artist: Louie Uttaq
Size: 7" long, 4" high
Community: Gjoa Haven, NU
Material: Stone medium & Caribou bone
id: c-017

I admire Louis Uttaq’s interpretation of the lying bear.

His bear carvings have a very ample hind end.  The tail is exaggerated and the back legs are planted like stumps on the tundra. This bear looks perhaps a bit plump but let there be no mistake...

At any moment, this large predator will spring to action and launch his massive body forward, pinning his prey and eventually killing it.

I love the broad skull and square muzzle. The mouth is open slightly as he scents the Arctic air.

This is a beautiful rendition of a polar bear by Louis Uttaq. The dark soapstone is endemic to Gjoa Haven.

The rawness of the interpretation of the bear and the rudimentary angles of the sculpture make this a timeless piece.

                                              PROUDLY CANADIAN SINCE 2008

Louie Uttaq

Louie Uttaq (b.1996) is an Inuit artist from Uqsuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven) NU who primarily sculpts. Uttaq comes from a family of artists. Louie, his father Leo and uncle Simon Uttaq learned to carve from his grandfather.

Louie creates a variety of carvings but specializes in the mammals and animals of the Arctic region. His carvings of hunters and Polar bears are very distinct and treasured by collectors around the world.

In 2018, the Fram Museum of Oslo, Norway purchased twenty-two of Louie’s carvings. Cruise passengers from the USA, Europe and the United Kingdom admire and collect his sculptures. He is a young innovator and his pieces are sought after.