Native Art Gallery


Polar Bear

Polar Bear

Artist: Tony Ohotaq

Community: Cape Dorset

Medium: Soapstone

Dimensions (in): W6.0 x H 3.25 x D2.5

Reference: 107057


Regular price $985.00 CAD
Regular price Sale price $985.00 CAD
Sale Sold

Polar Bear, Nanuq, called the "King of the North", is the greatest predator of the Arctic and a powerfully respected animal.  He is the one animal that is at home both on land and water.  He is built for his environment and has no troubles surviving the long, harsh winters. The polar bears of Nunavut tend to be solitary creatures, generally travelling alone in the winter. When you see two bears together, they are most likely siblings who have learned to hunt together with utmost success.

Some Inuit believe that how we live our lives affects what we become in the afterlife. Apparently, the best reward for a life-well-lived is to return in the form of the polar bear.  This is because the ‘King of the Arctic’, as he is endearingly called, is strong enough to survive the long, cold winters.

This piece is carved in honour of the animal itself; it celebrates the polar bear, his spirit, his strength, and his legend.  May he always be a source of inspiration.

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Tony Ohotaq

Born in 1977 in Iqaluit, Nunavut

Tony has been carving Polar Bears since he was 12 years old, using serpentine stone that is quarried near his home.

While he favours sculpting bears, Tony excels in depicting a wide range of wildlife, capturing the majesty and power of Arctic animals. His sculptures are characterized by boldness and drama, featuring dynamic compositions where the elegance of natural forms. He is recognized for his reflecting bears, two bears mirrored as one sculpture, the composition which he absolutely mastered.

"My imagination and my artistic education from other carvers is
combined into my art. If you have patience, you can create carvings like I do. You can create beauty if you never give up, just like everything
in life."