Sonny Assu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sonny Assu
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| Born | May 9, 1975 Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
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| Nationality | We Wai Kai First Nation |
| Education | Emily Carr University of Art and Design |
| Known for | painter, printmaker, installation artist, sculptor |
| Movement | Kwakwaka'wakw art |
Sonny Assu (born in 1975) is a Canadian artist. He creates paintings, sculptures, prints, and art installations. His art often uses humor to talk about important topics. These topics include how people buy things, how cultures change, and how different groups interact.
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About Sonny Assu's Art
Sonny Assu grew up in a suburban area. He learned about his Kwakwaka'wakw heritage when he was eight years old. This heritage is very important in his artwork.
He studied art at Kwantlen College and then at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. There, he mixed his interest in pop art with traditional Indigenous art forms. These included making drums and weaving with cedar bark.
In 2012, 2013, and 2015, Sonny Assu was considered for the Sobey Art Award. This is a major award for young Canadian artists. In 2017, he won a REVEAL Indigenous Art Award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation.
Sonny Assu also wrote a story for a graphic novel called "This Place: 150 Years Retold." His story, 'Tilted Ground,' is about his great-great-grandfather. It also talks about the Potlatch Ban in Canada. This ban made it illegal for Indigenous peoples to practice their traditional ceremonies for many years.
Art Series and Themes
Sonny Assu has several art series. These include the Breakfast series, Personal Totem series, and Urban Totem series. These works explore how everyday items and pop culture symbols connect to our family history. They also relate to the idea of totems. Totems are special symbols or objects that represent a group or family.
In his 2006 Breakfast series, Assu used the look of cereal boxes. He changed them to talk about issues important to First Nations people. These issues include the environment, treaty rights, and land claims. For example, one famous work looks like a Coca-Cola logo. But instead of "Coca-Cola," it says "Enjoy Coast-Salish Territory." This makes people think about who the land truly belongs to.
Where to See Sonny Assu's Art
Sonny Assu's art has been shown in many places. Here are some of the exhibitions:
- Ready Player Two: Sonny Assu and Brendan Tang, which traveled to many galleries (2017-2020).
- We Come to Witness: Sonny Assu in Dialogue with Emily Carr, at the Vancouver Art Gallery (2016–17).
- The Paradise Syndrome (solo show), Malaspina Printmakers, Vancouver, BC (2016).
- Home Coming (solo show), Campbell River Art Gallery, Campbell River, BC (2016).
- 1UP (solo show), Surrey Art Gallery Urban Screen (2016).
- Continuum (solo show), Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Ontario (2015).
Public Collections
You can find Sonny Assu's art in many public collections. These are places like museums and galleries where art is kept for everyone to see. Some of these include:
- The Museum of Anthropology at UBC
- The National Gallery of Canada
- The Vancouver Art Gallery
- The Seattle Art Museum
- The Audain Art Museum, Whistler, BC
- The Burnaby Art Gallery
