Born August 19, 1970 (Cape Dorset, Nunavut)

Ottokie Ashoona comes from a family of world-renowned Inuit artists. His late father Qaqaq and his uncle Kiawak were the two most prominent sculptors in Cape Dorset, his grandmother Pitseolak Ashoona was famous for his drawings and prints.

Ottokie learned to sculpt at a young age. It was Ohito Ashoona, his half-brother and also a well-known sculptor, who exerted the greatest influence on Ottokie’s artistic development and expression. Often they sculpt together. It is therefore not surprising to see many similarities between their style of sculpture.

Like many Inuit artists, Ottokie draws his inspiration from arctic wildlife. His favourite subject is the polar bear, and he often depicts them in their natural habitat, swimming, crouching, sitting, sleeping and on the prowl. Ottokie’s has an indeniable ability to capture the movement and vitality of the animal.

The artist’s style is very representative of Cape Dorset art. It is rooted in a love of naturalism, but incorporated an affinity for decorative stylization as well as dramatic expression.

Ottokie takes the greatest care in choosing the stone. Many of his sculptures are made of the finest serpentine in different shades of green, often with gold veins, smoothed and highly polished to best show the beauty of the stone.