The new show, titled Omnibus, addresses the ways traditions of the past inform contemporary ideas and identities, particularly as related to the effects of colonization.
An exhibition of new works by artist Sonny Assu (BFA 2002) is now open for viewing at Equinox Gallery.
Titled Omnibus, the show includes collage and paint works which advance Sonny’s longstanding exploration of contemporary political and ideological issues via the convergence of Indigenous and pop-culture iconography.
“Assu’s work focuses on Indigenous rights, consumerism, branding and technology as totemic representations of identity,” Equinox writes in an exhibition text. “Within this, he addresses the ways in which traditions of the past have come to inform contemporary ideas and identities, particularly as related to the effects of colonization, and the loss of language and cultural resources in Indigenous culture.”
Speaking about his recent series, the Speculator Boom, Sonny himself notes his deeper engagement with the language of comic books is likewise aimed at touching on ideas around identity and culture.
“I’ve recently returned to an exploration of pop-culture as a way to not only express my identity as a purveyor of pop, a watcher of sci-fi, and a collector of nerdy things, but as a way to find a cathartic experience in the breaking of my childhood memorabilia,” Sonny says in a statement.
“Through this, I’m finding a new understanding of the attribution wealth by the deconstruction of something sacred to create something new.”
Omnibus will show at Equinox through Oct. 9, 2021. Visit equinoxgallery.com for more information on Sonny’s current and past work, or to learn more about the rest of Equinox’s roster of outstanding artists.
About Sonny Assu
Sonny Assu has been recognized for his mashups of Indigenous iconography and popular culture. He addresses the ways in which traditions of the past have come to inform contemporary ideas and identities, particularly as related to the effects of colonization, and the loss of language and cultural resources in Indigenous culture.
Through a variety of mediums, including museum interventions, large-scale installations, sculpture, and painting, Assu’s work maintains a profound connection to past traditions. His practice emphasizes the complex conversation relating to the intersections and boundaries of traditional Indigenous art within the larger realm of contemporary art practices.