Karoo Ashevak (Inuktitut: ᑲᕈ ᐊᓴᕙ) (1940 – October 19, 1974) was an Inuk sculptor who lived a nomadic hunting life in the Kitikmeot Region of the central Arctic before moving into Spence Bay, Northwest Territories (now Taloyoak, Nunavut) in 1960.

Ashevak's sculptures won third prize in that competition, and he became a recognizable artist after his solo exhibition at the American Indian Art Centre in New York in 1973.

Despite his early death — he died in October 1974 from a house fire, Ashevak was crucial to the development of Inuit sculpture by visualizing an imaginative world with supernatural beings and shamanistic practices.

[5] However, Ashevak grew up at a time when the establishment of wage-earning settlements rapidly replaced the Eskimo lifestyle and economy.

Since they moved off the land to Spence Bay (Taloyoak), they were forced to adopt a southern-style economy such as living in a house and having a stable job.

[4] During that time, Abjon Bromfield, the Arts and Crafts officer at Fort Smith, Northwest Territories received a shipment of two carvings from Spence Bay.

[5] Therefore, a carving program was funded by the government in Spence Bay, and sculptor Algie Malauskas was hired to teach Inuit some fundamental sculpture techniques.

[5] Ashevak soon joined the program because he could no longer support his family by hunting, and carving was one of the well-paid alternatives to earn a livelihood.

In 1968, Karoo Ashevak settled in Taloyoak where his career began through an arts and crafts program sponsored by the government.

During this time, he was unknown in the art market, nonetheless, he held several exhibitions where his work appealed to the majority and sold in mass amounts.

He was not exclusively recognized until spring of 1972 when Avrom Isaacs used Karoo's sculptures in a one-man exhibition at the Inuit Gallery in Toronto.

Finally, in January 1973, his exhibition at the American Indian Art Centre in New York established his local fame and overall reputation in the eastern U.S. and Canada.

[5] During his artistic years, whale bones would be imported to the community through charter planes from Somerset Island because this material was sparse while demands were higher than the inventory.

[4] Whale bone is a diverse and varied medium that can be found in colors from white to cream, to brown, to nearly black.

[4] Despite working primarily with fossilized whale bone, Ashevak often incorporated other local materials, such as stone, caribou antler, baleen, and walrus ivory, as additional supplements.

Ashevak became a recognizable figure in Canada and the United States shortly after his exhibitions at the Inuit Gallery of Toronto (1972) and the American Indian Arts Centre in New York (1973).

His figures embody wide eyes, gaping mouths, distorted body features and incised lines, which are directly related to Inuit religion (shamanism).

[14] Ashevak portrayed various helping spirits in animal forms such as Bear (1973), Flying Walrus (1972), and a mystical four-legged creature with wings.

The angakkuq candidate needs to receive formal training from an elder, which helps him gain skills and powers that are necessary to fulfil his future position.

[3] It was uncommon for Inuit adults to display their feelings because they highly valued the idea of Ihuma, which was the ability of emotional restraint.

Ashevak's favourite part of sculpture was to apply finishing touches, which gave the final piece distinctive details.

[3] Ashevak established a well-known reputation in his community and the nearby area of Uqsuqtuc, otherwise recognized as Gjoa Haven, during his artistic career.

[8] Although he only created about 250 sculptures during his short artistic career, his works have been included in multiple exhibitions and continue to be widely collected as well as traded on the art market and during auctions.

[8] When he was first officially noticed in 1970 during the Centennial competition in Yellowknife, he won third prize and honourable mention for his entries of Bird and Drum Dancer, respectively.

The audience were also immediately captivated by his work, especially in exhibitions at the Inuit Gallery in Toronto and the American Indian Arts Centre in New York.

[5] Theatrical producer, Max Weitzenhoffer, ranked Ashevak as one of the top contemporary Canadian sculptors because he viewed Askevak's work apart and unique from the other Inuit artists’ production.