November 14 to January 30, 2024

From the Visible Vault

Visible Vault Study Centre

Featuring: Carl Beam, David General, David Ruben Piqtoukun, Abraham Angik Ruben, and Tim Whiten

Installed in The Goldfarb Gallery Visible Vault Study Centre are works by collection artists Carl Beam, David General, DavidRuben Piqtoukun, Abraham Angik Ruben, and Tim Whiten. This selection of works from the York University Art Collection highlights some lesser-known works by several highly respected artists.

A significant recent acquisition for the collection is Mortuary Table, a large-scale sculpture by American-born Canadian cultural maker Tim Whiten. Mortuary Table was created on the York University campus in 1994 and has not been exhibited since it was produced. The sculpture reflects Whiten’s interest in material as a conduit for meaning and in objects that go beyond representation, in this case exploring the transitional moment between life and death.

A second sculpture by Whiten, This Touch, 1996, also comes from recent acquistions for the York University Art Collection. The bronze sculpture, which the audience is encouraged to touch, is installed on the floor. Over time, traces of sweat and oils from these interactions will add to the patina of the piece, tracing a history of interactions between the artwork and viewers.

A selection of sculptures by Inuit artists David Ruben Piqtoukun and Abraham Anghik Ruben and Oneida artist David General are demonstrative of a wide range of artistic enagagement with Indigenous mythology. Piqtoukun’s practice as a sculptor and stone carver is influenced by his collecting and interpreting of traditional stories from his family and Elders. Apparent in the work are symbols representing shamans, terrestrial and marine life, and other natural references. Anghik Ruben, brother to Piqtoukun, also engages stories collected from Elders. The use of organic materials, such as limestone and whale bone, complement the stories represented in the sculptures by both these artists, connecting materials used with the stories being told. Sculptor David General is known for introducing Modernist sculptural influences into traditional Indigenous motifs. Frequently using marble or bronze, General’s sculptures are known for pared-back simplified aesthetics. All three sculptors have embraced personalized and experimental approaches to traditional Indigenous visuals.

Well-known Anishnabek print maker Carl Beam often engages personal memory intertwined with issues related to the environment, colonialism, and a rethinking of the ways history is narrated. Beam’s celebrity portrait series from 2000 are a departure from the artist’s typical subject matter but demonstrate the influence on Beam of artists like Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, who also engaged in celebrity depictions as part of the Pop Art movement. This is the first time the gallery has exhibited this series of prints.

The exhibition will remain on display in the Visible Vault until January 2025. Further information about the York University Art Collection is available on our publicly accessible collection database.