Duane Linklater facts for kids

Duane Linklater (born in 1976) is a talented artist from the Omaskêko Cree people. He creates art that explores important ideas about Indigenous life and culture today.

About Duane Linklater

He was born in Moose Factory, Ontario, Canada. Today, he lives in North Bay. Duane Linklater is married to Tanya Lukin, who is also an artist and choreographer.

Duane Linklater studied art and Native Studies at the University of Alberta from 2000 to 2005. He earned two bachelor's degrees there. Later, he went to Bard College's Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts. In 2012, he completed his Master of Fine Arts degree, focusing on video and film.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Duane Linklater's art has been shown in many important places. These include the Art Gallery of Ontario (2013) and the Vancouver Art Gallery (2015). His work was also part of documenta 14, a very famous art show.

In 2018, Linklater created a public art piece called pêyakotênaw. This artwork featured three large teepee sculptures. You could see them along the High Line in New York City.

His exhibitions often use different art forms. He uses sculpture, video, and textiles. His art helps people think about what it means to be Indigenous today. It also questions how Indigenous knowledge fits into modern society.

In 2022, Linklater was part of the Whitney Biennial. This is a major art show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. In 2023, the Art Gallery of Hamilton showed his work. This exhibition looked at the design of an old chapel in Ontario. Also in 2023, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) held a big show of his art. It was called Duane Linklater: mymothersside. This show included large structures, sculptures, and videos. It focused on old traditions and how tribal objects are shown in museums.

His art is represented by the Catriona Jeffries Gallery.

Notable Artworks

Here are some of Duane Linklater's well-known art projects:

• Modest Livelihood – This project was made with Brian Jungen. It was about a hunting trip and was shown at documenta (13).
• Distances, Origins, and Other Concerns – This was an open letter to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It questioned how the museum displayed an old Cree object.
• Mikikwan (2018) – This is a concrete copy of a hide scraper.
• Tautology (2011-2013) – This artwork is a neon bird. It was inspired by a famous painting by Norval Morrisseau.
• Cape Spear – For five years, Linklater made a small change to the Cape Spear Wikipedia page. He added a sentence about watching the sunrise there.
• Learning – This was an art show at the Susan Hobbs Gallery in Toronto.
• What Then Remains – This is a permanent art piece. It is installed inside the longest wall at Mercer Union in Toronto.
• Monsters for beauty, permanence and individuality – These are 14 sculptures made from concrete. You can find them at Don River Valley Park in Toronto.
• mymothersside – This art installation was shown at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle (2021). It was also shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (2023).

Awards and Recognition

Duane Linklater has received several important awards for his art:

• In 2013, he won the Sobey Art Award. This is a very important art prize in Canada, worth $50,000.
• In May 2016, he and Geoffrey Farmer were the first to receive a Be3Dimensional Innovation Fund grant. This grant of $50,000 was for a 3D printing project.
• In July 2016, Linklater won the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Media Arts. This $15,000 award comes from the Canada Council for the arts.
• In 2017, he received a special public art commission for the Don River Valley Park in Toronto.

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