Intangible: Memory and Innovation in Coast Salish Art

Contemporary Coast Salish art is embedded within a traditional cultural framework that includes community, ceremonial life, territory, history and innovation. Six artists challenge our expectations and illustrate Coast Salish art as a thriving art tradition - a dynamic one that demonstrates both continuity with the past and exploration of new ideas and technologies.

Marvin Oliver (Quinault / Isleta Pueblo) is an innovator in contemporary glass work and embeds symbolic knowledge in glass Spirit Boards.

Tawx'sin Yexwulla/Aaron Nelson Moody (Squamish) invokes family knowledge of traditional copper use and combines it with contemporary techniques.

lessLIE (Cowichan, Penelakut and Esquimault) focuses on enlarged Salish design elements to magnify issues of identity and colonialism.

Sesemiya/Tracy Williams (Squamish) explores land sovereignty by experimenting with plant, animal, and mineral components and employing them in her cedar weavings.

Ostwelve/Ronnie Dean Harris (Sto:lo / St'at'ime) will use multimedia to explore traditional Salish territory within the urban environment.

Roxanne Charles (Semiahmoo) is a fibre artist, who frequently incorporates live performance to engage the public in contemporary issues.

Presenting Sponsor

Exhibition Partners

Exhibition Dates

September 13 to December 10, 2017

Media

"Q&A: New exhibition highlights innovation in Coast Salish Art"
The Vancouver Sun

"'Intangible', Ronnie Dean Harris Tells a New Story that Reflects, Respects His Ancestral History "
Beatroute

"Artists explore the Intangible nature of Indigenous culture"
North Shore News