Born April 14, 1978 (Cape Dorset, Nunavut)

Alariaq Shaa is the son of the famous Inuit sculptor, Aqjangajuk Shaa. His family history is very rich in talented sculptors, starting with his grandfather; Davidee Mannumi, his uncles Tukiki and Qavavau Manomie as well as his brother Pudlalik Shaa. It is therefore not surprising that Alariaq followed the same artistic path. Indeed, in Nunavut, artistic talent is passed on within the family, rather than taught in an art academy.

Cape Dorset’s sculptural style is a combination of naturalism, observation and reduction to sometimes abstract stylistic forms. This aspect is inevitably present in Alariaq’s art.

This artist takes pride in carving the traditional way; by getting his stones himself which he finds in the open sky mines, on Baffin Island. Adamie takes the greatest care in the choice of his stones. Therefore, he his known for his sculptures, which are made out of the finest serpentine, abundant in different shades of green. His sculptures are then smoothed and polished, in order to better show the brilliance of the stone. Serpentine is a rock similar in composition to jade. It is a very hard stone, so it requires a lot of artistic vitality to carve.