Luke Parnell | Stories from the Silver Age of North West Coast Art

The art works in Stories from the Silver Age of North West Coast Art reflect the exploration of the tenuous relationships between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples throughout our shared colonial history. As Parnell puts it, “My work doesn’t often look at the past with nostalgia, though it appears to, it questions and reveals the nature of our interactions. “

Re-Contextualizing the De-Consecrated looks at the way Northwest coast art has been viewed by looking at the way it has been curated in the post Potlatch ban era. The Violence of Words reveals how language has been used to colonize our art, while The Saviour is an experiment in storytelling. Precious, Nostalgic & Horrifying uses the aesthetics of ephemera to tell important and tragic personal stories, challenging the viewer to look beyond the pretty pictures and see the real stories.   Luke Parnell’s newest work, Remediation, is a sculpture and video piece, which criticises one of the most iconic events in Northwest Coast art history. His artworks uses Northwest Coast Art history to reflect the colonial history of the Northwest Coast.

Luke Parnell is a member of the Nisga’a and Haida nations. He is both traditionally and classically trained with a Master’s degree in Sculpture and installation and an apprenticeship with a master Tsimsian carver. This diverse training and epistemology has influenced his practice. As Parnell puts it, the intent of his body of work is to shape the context in which the audience views indigenous art.

For more information on the Ottawa School of Art Byward Market Campus, its instructors, classes and fall program visit www.artottawa.ca or call us at 613-241-7471
For more information please contact Stephane Mukunzi,
Marketing Coordinator 613-241-7471 or marketing@artottawa.ca

Vernissage:

Luke Parnell will also give a lecture in the OSA library on Friday, October 14th at 12pm. This lecture is free and open to the public!