Ohotaq Mikkigak

1936 - 2014
Cape Dorset
Sculpture, Drawings, Prints

Ohotaq was born in 1936 and lives in Cape Dorset with his wife Haunak, who is a well-known carver and traditional throat-singer.

Ohotaq began drawing in the early years of the print program in Cape Dorset, and his print, Eskimo Fox Trapper, was released in 1961. He became less involved with drawing as the community grew, instead working full-time for various community agencies. Since his retirement from his job as caretaker of the Peter Pitseolak School in Cape Dorset, Ohotaq has again expressed an interest in drawing. In 1999 three of his prints were included in the 40th anniversary Cape Dorset Print Release. He has continued to contribute to the Print Release in subsequent years.

Since his return, Ohotaq has become one of the most popular artists working in Cape Dorset today. His drawings in large-scale have become starkly different from his smaller drawings. This new scale has developed into a very contemporary, almost abstracted style in which he depicts landscapes, seascapes, and houses from his community.