Sonny Assu (born 1975 in

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the ad ...

) is a Ligwilda'xw Kwakwaka'wakw

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

ist. Assu's paintings, sculptures, prints, installations, and interventions are all infused with his wry humour which is a tool to open the conversation around his themes of predilections: consumerism, colonization and imperialism.

Career

Assu was given a suburban upbringing by his grandparents in

North Delta, British Columbia North Delta (founded as Annieville) is a largely middle-class commuter town situated in the Lower Mainland, of British Columbia, Canada. The community is the most populous of the three communities (North Delta, Ladner, and Tsawwassen) that make ...

, and didn't learn of his own Kwakwaka'wakw heritage until he was eight years old. He studied painting at Kwantlen College and then at the

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

, where he combined his interests in pop art with traditional drum-making and cedar bark weaving.. Assu was long-listed for the

Sobey Art Award The Sobey Art Award is Canada's largest prize for young Canadian artists. It is named after Canadian businessperson and art collector Frank H. Sobey, who established The Sobey Art Foundation. It is an annual prize given to an artist 40 and under wh ...

in 2012, 2013, and 2015. In 2017 he was the recipient of a REVEAL Indigenous Art Award / Prix en art autochtone from the Hnatyshyn Foundation. Assu is an author in the graphic novel anthology "This Place: 150 Years Retold." His story, 'Tilted Ground,' follows Assu's great-great-grandfather as well as the

Potlatch Ban The potlatch ban was legislation forbidding the practice of the potlatch passed by the Government of Canada, begun in 1885 and lasting until 1951. First Nations saw the law as an instrument of intolerance and injustice. "Second only to the taking ...

in Canada.

Art

Assu series Breakfast series, Personal Totem series, and Urban Totem series all reflect on how consumer items and icons of pop culture define individual lineage and relate to the idea of totemic representation. In his 2006 Breakfast series, Assu appropriates the form of the cereal box and subverses it with commentaries on First Nations issues such as the environment, treaty rights and land claims.

Selected exhibitions

* ''Ready Player Two: Sonny Assu and Brendan Tang,'' organized and circulated by

The Reach Gallery Museum The Reach Gallery Museum is a public art gallery and museum located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It exhibits artwork from across Canada and around the world. The Reach is also the regional archival repository and houses a significant collectio ...

, Abbotsford (2017), and touring to the Yukon Art Centre, Whitehorse (2018), Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art & History, (2018), Niagara Artists’ Centre, St. Catherines (2018), the Art Gallery of York University, Toronto (2019), and Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary (2020). * ''We Come to Witness: Sonny Assu in Dialogue with Emily Carr,''

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

(2016–17) * ''The Paradise Syndrome'' (solo)'','' Malaspina Printmakers, Vancouver, BC (2016) * ''Home Coming'' (solo)
Campbell River Art Gallery
Campbell River, BC (2016) * ''1UP'' (solo), Surrey Art Galler
Urban Screen
(2016) * ''Continuum'' (solo),

Thunder Bay Art Gallery The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is Northern Ontario's largest art gallery specializing in the work of contemporary Indigenous artists. It is located on the campus of Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is ...

, Thunder Bay, Ontario (2015)

Public Collections

A work of Assu spoofing the

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

logo and replacing it by the words "Enjoy Coast-Salish Territory" is in the collection of the

Museum of Anthropology at UBC The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is renowned for its displays of world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. As well as ...

. He also has works in the collection of the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

, the

Seattle Art Museum The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as SAM) is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, United States. It operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park on Cap ...

, th
Audain Art Museum
Whistler, BC, and

Burnaby Art Gallery The Burnaby Art Gallery (abbreviated as BAG) is an art museum in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The museum is located on the northern periphery of Deer Lake Park, situated off of Deer Lake Avenue. The museum occupies Fairacres Mansion, a histor ...

, amongst others.

References

External links

Home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assu, Sonny 1975 births Living people 21st-century First Nations people Artists from British Columbia Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni Kwakwaka'wakw people Kwantlen Polytechnic University alumni People from Richmond, British Columbia