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Harold Qarliksaq
Canadian, 1928 - 1980
Harold Qarliksaq was a talented graphic artist from Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake), NU. Born in 1928 to Utak and Qajaviniq in Hanningajuq (Garry Lake), NU, Qarliksaq and his family lived a nomadic lifestyle following caribou migratory patterns. Qarliksaq married textile artist Martha Apsaq and the family moved closer to Qamani’tuaq in the late 1950s, during a period of widespread starvation across the Arctic and settled permanently in 1970 after the federal government created mandatory education policies.
Shortly after relocating to Qamani’tuaq, Qarliksaq began drawing. Known for depicting the world around him, Qarliksaq’s works often focused on hunting, the natural world, and other everyday activities. Some have stated that his thorough and caring knowledge of his subject matter is immediately apparent in his drawings. He frequently invoked the use of different orientations within a drawing to express spatial and temporal shifts, showing how people moved throughout the landscape.
Qarliksaq, who still frequently hunted during his time as an artist, died of a sudden heart attack while out on the land in 1980.
Shortly after relocating to Qamani’tuaq, Qarliksaq began drawing. Known for depicting the world around him, Qarliksaq’s works often focused on hunting, the natural world, and other everyday activities. Some have stated that his thorough and caring knowledge of his subject matter is immediately apparent in his drawings. He frequently invoked the use of different orientations within a drawing to express spatial and temporal shifts, showing how people moved throughout the landscape.
Qarliksaq, who still frequently hunted during his time as an artist, died of a sudden heart attack while out on the land in 1980.