Lot 141
JOHN KAVIK (1897-1993)
Additional Images
Provenance:
From The Collection of Stanley and Jean Zazelenchuk
Literature:
Stanley Zazelenchuk, Rankin Inlet/Kangirlliniq, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1981, page 26 & 27
Note:
The sense of community and joyfulness is evident in this small work, which is fitting having resided in the collection of Stanley and Jean Zazelenchuk for almost 40 years. During their time teaching in Rankin Inlet, the couple came to know Kavik “as well as one who doesn’t speak the language fluently can” and thought of Kavik as a member of the family. Stanley, advocating for the undervalued aesthetic of John Kavik’s work, wrote “In the fall of 1976, the Co-op manager ... refused to purchase Kavik’s carvings...While I found his action difficult to understand, I did notice a local disinterest among the Whites towards Kavik’s simplistic, child-like, often crude carvings. The consequence of this decision by the Co-op combined with my deep interest in Kavik’s work, was that I committed myself to filling the void.”