Amikuk Mask
Phillip Charette, Amikuk Mask, 2006, raku and horsetail fired clay, porcelain, glass beads, red oak, feathers, rawhide, and paint, Gift of the Native American Art Council, © Phillip Charette, 2006.10
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Amikuk Mask
- Artist
- Date
2006
- Medium
raku and horsetail fired clay, porcelain, glass beads, red oak, feathers, rawhide, and paint
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
60 in x 72 in x 18 in
- Collection Area
Native American Art; Modern and Contemporary Art; Northwest Art
- Category
Arctic
Ceremonial and Ritual Objects
- Object Type
mask
- Culture
American
- Cultural Group
Yup'ik
- Credit Line
Gift of the Native American Art Council
- Accession Number
2006.10
- Copyright
© Phillip Charette
- Terms
Phillip Charette, whose Yup'ik name Aarnaquq was handed down in his family, is an artist who sees inspiration in traditional forms and creates visually potent statements using a variety of contemporary media. Historically, Yup'ik shamans used Amikuk masks in their healing ceremonies as a portal to travel into the spiritual world. Although the traditional style of Yup'ik mask was carved from wood, Charette uses a range of ceramic techniques to achieve the desired results and even models the clay to simulate the adze marks that appear on the surface of wooden masks. He researches every detail and each aspect has a symbolic reference. For example, the white paint around the eyes represent snow goggles and the red on the lips and interior of the nostrils represents blood, signifying the mask's strength, while the porcelain teeth are a reminder of the dangerous and powerful beings that inhabit the spiritual world.
- Exhibitions
2015 Paradise: Fallen Fruit Portland Art Museum