Royal Portrait

Royal Portrait featured a collection of carvings, jewelry, and portraits by Morgan Asoyuf honouring the Indigenous matriarchs in her life. Photographic portraits of Indigenous activists wearing crowns, frontlets, and headdresses animate Asoyuf’s contemporary treasures and bring forth a new interpretation of the “royal portrait.”

While European Royal portraiture seeks to define the image of the monarch and to confirm their power and wealth—Royal Portrait highlights the true meaning of royalty for Indigenous peoples which is linked to how well we take care of others and the environment. Morgan uses her platform to promote the women in her community who she considers the true leaders of the Northwest Coast and to question colonial understandings of power and leadership.