SONNY
ASSU
INTER-DISCIPLINARY ARTIST
Sonny Assu is Liǥwildaʼx̱w of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations is an interdisciplinary artist from Vancouver Island, BC (unceded Liǥwildaʼx̱w territory).
SERIES: INTERVENTIONS ON THE IMAGINARY
Assu adds digitally created alien-like figures to settler depictions of Indigenous peoples at early contact. In doing so, he re-appropriates the visuals of the settler art he has selected. He depicts Indigenous peoples in migration, within a so-called “fourth world,” living in diasporas within their own territories. These figures have been forced off of their home territories, their bodies propelled through occupied space by an alien force, whose gaze they attempt to hide from. [Source]
Assu's artistic practice is diverse: spanning painting, sculpture, photography, digital art and printmaking. His work is informed by a deep understanding of his heritage, "radically remixing" Kwakwaka’wakw iconography with western and pop-culture aesthetics. He also uses humour and irony to unsettle misconceptions of Indigenous peoples and expose the enduring legacies of colonization against Indigenous peoples.
The impetus behind his work is to bring to light the dark, hidden history of Canada's actions and inactions against Indigenous people. He often infuses his work with wry humour in an attempt to foster a dialogue. Within this, his work deals with the loss of language, loss of cultural resources and the effects of colonization upon the Indigenous people of North America. [Source]
GALLERY
Click each work for its title, source, and description.