Biography Kellipalik Etidloie
BIO KELLY ETIDLOIE
Kelly Etidloie
(1966 – ) | Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada
Kelly Etidloie was born in Cape Dorset on April 25th, 1966. His birth parents Etigajaarjuak and Taktu Pee lived on the land. His mother passed away shortly after child birth and Kelly was adopted by Kingmeata and Etidloie who lived in Cape Dorset. Kingmeata and Etidloie spent a lot of their time working on their art. Kingmeata Etidlooie was born and raised at Itinik Camp near Lake Harbour, Northwest Territories (1915 – 1989). She married Etidlooie Etidlooie and had a family.
Kingmeata carved stone and drew at the beginning of her artistic journey. Etidlooie Etidlooie (1910 – 1981) was also encouraged to develop his artistic talents. Kingmeata and Etidlooie moved their family to Cape Dorset in the 1960s and joined the renowned printmaking studio the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative. Etidlooie Etidlooie carved stone inspired by the natural and spirit world. Kingmeata Etidloie is well known for her talents in watercolours and acrylics. She was one of the first Inuit artists to explore painting. Kingmeata enjoyed printmaking and a number of her prints were published in the annual print catalogues from 1970 – 1988. Kingmeata often explored bird themes in her work and her prints, drawings and paintings reside in numerous collections in galleries across Canada. Etidloie Etidlooie’s drawings were very detailed, not easily translated into the print making medium of the Cape Dorset collections. His drawings depicted scenes of living on the land before the modern changes. Etidlooie has been featured in numerous shows and solo exhibitions for his coloured pencil and felt pen drawings on paper.
Kingmeata and Etidlooie passed on their artistic talents to many of their children. Omalluq Oshutsiaq, Etulu Etidloie, Pukaluk Etungat and Kellypalik Etidloie. Kelly was the youngest in the family. His father Etidlooie carved humans, birds and seals. Kellypalik learned to carve by watching his elders and by helping his sister Omalluk. He would watch his sister carve pieces and help Omalluk sand and finish her carvings. She encouraged Kelly to carve so he could make money. Kelly carved his first piece which was a bird at the age of 15 in 1981.
He continued to work on his abilities and went to Montreal for 5 years to work for Polar North. The owner would provide the artists with stone from Cape Dorset. There were other carvers from Cape Dorset in Montreal at that time as well; Moe Pootoogook, Markoosie Papigatok, Teevee Atsealak and Pauloosie Joanasie. Kelly is a big fan of the Montreal Canadians NHL hockey team and was pleased to have gone to a live game while he was living in Montreal.
Kelly returned to Cape Dorset and continued his carving career at home. He used to carve with Isacie Etidloie, his nephew but now he carves by himself. His common-law wife Annie Salomonie helps finish some of his carvings and sands them.
Kelly does not mine his own stone. He has noticed the stone in the community can have more cracks that it used to in the past. Since the 1980s Kelly has been using mainly power tools. The grinder for roughing out the piece and the dremel for finishing and the details of his sculptures. These power tools have replaced the axe and chisel. Kelly does all the fine works of his wing details and musk ox hair with the dremel tool. Sanding is done by hand, Kelly works with finer grit sandpaper for his polished look.
In the past, Kelly was known for his carved masks with human faces and birds incorporated into the design. Over the past few years, Kelly has been exploring the theme of wildlife grooming themselves. A bird preening with a delicate feather in it’s beak and a beautiful outstretched wing. The scratching musk ox with detailed hooves and a turned head. Kelly captures the intimate moments of birds feeding their young. His favourite bird to carve is the owl.
Kelly enjoys carving musk ox because it gives him the chance to add more details. His work has developed over the past few years from straight hair to windswept hair, effectively capturing a subtle moment of movement. The running musk ox included in the current collection has one front paw bent backward and the musk ox hair has tremendous motion, capturing a musk ox in a moment of flight. Kelly’s musk ox can also be standing strong and stoic taking on the challenges of the north in stride. Survival is what the musk oxen do best, they have been on the earth since the Ice Age.
When Kelly was a young child, he would be out on the land hunting and fishing with his parents. Presently during the summers, Kelly and his family go walking on the land along the coast for clam digging. He observes birds during this time and uses it for inspiration in his work. He carves today because he has the skills and can provide for his family. It is rewarding for Kelly to finish a piece and be able to sell it.
KELLIPALIK ETIDLOOIE (KELLYPALLY; ETIDUI; KELLY)
Date of Birth: April 26, 1966 Male/Female: Male E7-1919
Place of Birth: Cape Dorset
Mother: Kingmeata
Father: Etidlooie
Kellipalik is the son of the well-known Cape Dorset artists, Etidlooie and Kingmeata. His older brother, Etulu Etidui is also a Cape Dorset carver.
EXHIBITIONS:
Our Land Transforming; Celebrating the Enduring Spirit of the Inuit
Arctic Raven Gallery
One Front Street, Second Floor
POB 2139
Friday Harbor, Washington, U.S.A.
(brochure)
May 1988 Die Kunst aus der Arktis
Presented by Inuit Galerie, Mannheim in Gutersloh
Gutersloh, Germany
November – December 1992 Sculpture Inuit
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
March – April 1993 The Theme of Transformation in Inuit Sculpture
The Issacs/Innuit Gallery
Toronto, Ontario
October – November 1993 Sculpture and Graphics from Cape Dorset
The Issacs/Innuit Gallery
Toronto, Ontario
November – December 1993 Sculpture and Graphics from Cape Dorset
Art Space Gallery
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
November – December 1993 Sculpture Inuit et Retrospective Pudlo Pudlat
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
April – May 1994 Mythic Image
Ancestral Spirits Gallery
Port Townsend, Washington, U.S.A.
November – December 1994 Three Young Carvers from Cape Dorset
And Drawings by Aoudla Pudlat
The Albers Gallery of Inuit Art
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
April 1995 Inuit Mythology
Arctic Experiences
Hamilton, Ontario
November – December 1995 Miniaturen
Inuit Galerie
Mannheim, Germany
(brochure)
March – April 1996 Major/Minor
Marion Scott Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
November – December 1996 Emerging Spirit
Banff Centre
Organized by Northern Art Impressions Inc.
Banff, Alberta
(illustrated catalogue)
November – December 1996 Sculpture Inuit
Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
(brochure)
February – April 1997 Stone & Bone
The Inuit Master Carvers of the Canadian Arctic
The North West Company
Held at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities
Ketchum, Idaho, U.S.A.
June – July 2000 Die Kunst aus der Arktis
Exhibition Title: Art in Stone
Canadian Arctic Gallery (Grunder)
Hammerstrasse 50, Basel, Switzerland
(illustrated catalogue)
February 2001 Living Arctic
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated brochure)
2004 Masterworks III
Canadian Arctic Gallery
Basel, Switzerland
2006 Rhythms in Motion
Galerie d’art Vincent
Ottawa, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)
April – May, 2008 Arctic Wind – An Expression of Naturalism
Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery
Vancouver, British Columbia
January – February, 2009 Small Treasures
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
October, 2010 Dancing, Drumming, Singing
Canadian Arctic Gallery
Basel, Switzerland
December, 2010 Small Sculptures by Great Artists
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)
January – February, 2011 Small Treasures 2011
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
April, 2011 Flight Across the Tundra
Balzac Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
May – June, 2011 Birds
Canadian Arctic Gallery
Basel, Switzerland
June – July, 2011 New Beginnings in the Arctic
Balzac Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
September, 2011 Fall Migration:
A Selection of Birds in Sculpture, Prints and Drawings
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
October, 2011 Stone and Paper
Cape Dorset 2011
Native Art Gallery
Oakville, ON
(illustrated catalogue)
January, 2012 Small Treasures
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, BC
May – June, 2012 The Unexpected
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
August, 2012 Faces of Baffin
Canadian Arctic Gallery
Basel, Switzerland
November 2015 – January 2016 Small Sculptures by Great Artists
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto Ontario
January – February, 2017 Small treasures
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
February – March, 2018 Kellipalik Etidloie and Joanasie Manning
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, BC
February, 2019 Life in Stone VI
Steinbrueck Native Gallery
Seattle, Washington
February, 2020 Life in Stone VII
Steinbrueck Native Gallery
Seattle, Washington
January – February, 2020 Small Treasures 2020
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
August 2020 Kinngait (Cape Dorset) Sculptures
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
December, 2021 – January, 2022 Small Sculptures by Great Artists
Feheley Fine Arts
Toronto, Ontario
January – February, 2023 20th Annual Small Treasures
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
January – February, 2023 Collaborative Works from Kinngait
Madrona Gallery
Victoria, British Columbia
February 2023 SPRING/BREAK Art Show
(Claire Foussard Booth)
Los Angeles, California
February – March, 2023 Life in Stone IX
Steinbrueck Native Gallery
Seattle, Washington
March-April 2023 Reawakening
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
April-July 2023 Gwangju Biennale
Canadian Pavilion
Gwangju, Korea
