JONASIE FABER QUARQORTOQ

Jonasie Quarqortoq is an Inuit artist who occupies a unique place in the Inuit culture of Canada.  He was born in Julianhaab, Greenland in 1944 and moved to Canada at the age of 30.  He lives a few hours drive north of Vancouver.  In contrast to other Inuit artists, many of who remain deeply rooted in their homeland and in their culture, Jonasie has traveled widely and has experienced many other cultures while still preserving his Inuit heritage.

As a young boy, the sea fascinated him and at the age of 15 he served an apprenticeship on a Danish square-rigger, where he learned the rudiments and traditions of sailing the old-fashioned way.  He later served on an icebreaker in the high arctic.  He then attended the civilian Naval Academy in Copenhagen where he received his certificate for deep-sea navigation.  For the next four years he sailed the stormy waters along the coast of Greenland until becoming harbour master.

Jonasie left his post as harbour master and emigrated to Canada with his wife and children.  Here, several important factors intervened to change the direction of his life.  In Canada, Jonasie soon perceived a growing market for Inuit Art and decided to import some pieces from Greenland.  Some of these pieces were damaged in transit and Jonasie set about trying to repair them himself.  He was able to do so successfully, and soon realized that he had a remarkable talent for stone carving.  Acquiring soapstone at a reasonable cost was still a problem.  Then while on a hunting trip, he found his own source of carvable stone.  Once he had claimed his soapstone quarry, the problem of raw materials for his work was solved.

As the stone is found in British Columbia it is very different than the arctic stones that we have all come to know. Jonasie’s stone is greenish and is streaked with yellow, brown and red.  This gives the stone a rhythm and flow that Jonasie incorporates into his carvings.

Since his arrival in Canada, Jonasie has become a distinguished artist.  His sculptures are found in major galleries of Inuit art and in renowned auction houses in New York, London, and Toronto.  His works are also found in private collections in Germany, Denmark, Japan, France, Italy, Canada and the United States.  Jonasie has received the honour of being invited by the Governments of Greenland and Denmark to hold exhibitions of his work in Nuuk and Copenhagen.

Some of the carving images that Jonasie is known for are:  dancing bears, musk ox defense circles and his blanket toss.  We are fortunate to represent an artist of such calibre.