Canada's Cultural Landscape: Indigenous Reckoning and Institutional Renewal
The 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation in 1867 led to a reassessment of Indigenous narratives. On July 1, 1867, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked that this date initiated a period of 'racism and oppression' for Indigenous communities. In June 2017, the National Gallery of Canada, under the leadership of Mark Mayer, reopened its Canadian and Indigenous Galleries, featuring more than 800 artworks. Curator Christine Lalonde emphasized the significance of this recognition. The gallery also hosts the CAD 50,000 Sobey Art Award and the Canadian Biennial, which for the first time included artists from outside Canada. Additionally, the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto showcased 'Every. Now. Then: Reframing Nationhood,' while the MOCA Toronto is set to reopen in the spring. Canada presented 'Unceded' by Douglas Cardinal at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Key facts
- Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation in 1867 prompted debates on Indigenous identity.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called July 1, 1867, the start of 'racism and oppression' for Indigenous peoples.
- National Gallery of Canada reopened its permanent collection as Canadian and Indigenous Galleries in June 2017.
- The galleries display over 800 works chronologically from Indigenous artifacts to contemporary art.
- The Canadian Biennial 2017 included non-Canadian artists for the first time, such as John Akomfrah and Julie Mehretu.
- Sobey Art Award 2017 winner Ursula Johnson received CAD 50,000; four of five finalists were women.
- MOCA Toronto will reopen in spring in the Tower Automotive Building, designed by architectsAlliance.
- Canada's pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale featured 'Unceded' by Douglas Cardinal on Indigenous housing.
- Isuma collective will represent Canada at the 2019 Venice Art Biennale.
- Kent Monkman's solo exhibition 'Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience' toured Canada until 2020.
- Winnipeg Art Gallery is building an Inuit Art Centre to house over 13,000 works.
- Border Crossings magazine editor Meeka Walsh stated Canadian art is not market-driven but characterized by inventiveness.
Entities
Artists
- Mark Mayer
- Christine Lalonde
- Jonathan Shaughnessy
- John Akomfrah
- Mark Bradford
- Beau Dick
- Julie Mehretu
- Chris Ofili
- Wael Shawky
- Nick Cave
- Divya Mehra
- Jacynthe Carrier
- Bridget Moser
- Raymond Boisjoly
- Ursula Johnson
- Peter Doig
- Geoffrey Farmer
- Annie Pootoogook
- Kent Monkman
- Douglas Cardinal
- Isuma
- Will Alsos
- Ilan Averbuch
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Miroslaw Balka
- Ragnar Kjartansson
- Eva Kot'átková
- Ryan Gander
- Sister Co-Resister
- Marie Lemaire des Anges
- Group of Seven
- Northrop Frye
- Glenn Gould
- John Diefenbaker
- Meeka Walsh
- Lorenza Pignatti
- Joe Shlesinger
- Samara Walbohm
- Olga Korper
- Susan Hobbs
- Cooper Cole
- Robert Birch
- Georgia Sherman
- Frank Gehry
- Moshe Safdie
Institutions
- National Gallery of Canada
- Canadian Photography Institute
- Sobey Art Foundation
- Sobey Art Award
- Canadian Biennial
- Art Gallery of Alberta
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- Art Museum of the University of Toronto
- 401 Richmond
- Textile Studio Co-operative
- C Magazine
- Decode
- YYZ
- Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art
- Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
- Vtape
- Center for Aboriginal Media
- ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
- Native Canadian Centre of Toronto
- Olga Korper Gallery
- Susan Hobbs Gallery
- Cooper Cole Gallery
- Robert Birch Gallery
- Georgia Sherman Gallery
- Mercer Union
- 8eleven
- Gallery TPW
- Scrap Metal Foundation
- Power Plant
- Harbourfront Centre
- MOCA Toronto
- Tower Automotive Building
- architectsAlliance
- Winnipeg Art Gallery
- Inuit Art Centre
- Border Crossings
- Arts Manitoba
- University of Saskatchewan
- CBS
- Toronto International Film Festival
- Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival
- Biennale di Architettura di Venezia
- Biennale di Arte di Venezia
- Artribune
Locations
- Canada
- Ottawa
- Ontario
- Alberta
- Edmonton
- Toronto
- Winnipeg
- Manitoba
- Vancouver
- British Columbia
- Quebec City
- Quebec
- Dartmouth
- Nova Scotia
- New York
- United States
- Turtle Island
- Venice
- Italy
- Pacific Ocean
- Atlantic Ocean
- Chinatown
- Tecumseth Street
- Lake Ontario
- 49th parallel