Name/Title
Astral PlaneEntry/Object ID
2023.18.02Description
Sonny Assu (b. 1975) is an interdisciplinary Ligwilda'xw Kwakwaka'wakw artist raised in North Delta, British Columbia. His work deals with the loss of culture and reality of being Indigenous in Canada. Assu was raised in the suburbs, only realizing his heritage around the age of eight. This negotiation between his heritage and his Canadian middle-class upbringing served as the inspiration for his art. In bringing together traditional imagery with contemporary pop culture, Assu reclaims his culture and presents a counter-colonial narrative—Indigenous peoples and indigenous cultures are adapting and alive. Assu experiments with a variety of media and materials to find balance and reconciliation between his identity and the politics of the world around him.
Assu’s works are featured in the collections of The National Gallery of Canada, Vancouver Art Gallery, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, The Art Gallery of Ontario, Eiteljorg Museum, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Guelph, The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Museum of Anthropology at UBC, The Seattle Art Museum, The Burke Museum, Audain Art Museum and in various other public and pArtwork Details
Medium
acrylic and mixed media on paperDimensions
Height
76.2 cmWidth
57.1 cm