Plain text didactics
From the Visible Vault
Carl Beam, David General, David Ruben Piqtoukun,
Abraham Anghik Ruben, and Tim Whiten
Featuring a selection of works from the York University Art Collection, From the Visible Vault highlights some lesser-known works by highly respected artists. It includes a selection of sculptures by Inuit artists David Ruben Piqtoukun and Abraham Anghik Ruben along with Oneida artist David General. The works are all demonstrative of a wide range of artistic engagement 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. Anghik Ruben, brother to Piqtoukun, also engages stories collected from Elders. Sculptor David General is known for combining Modernist sculptural influences into traditional Indigenous motifs. 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. His celebrity portrait series of 2000, however, is a departure from his typical subject matter, demonstrating the influence of artists like Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol.
The exhibition also features a significant recent acquisition for the collection, Mortuary Table by American-born Canadian cultural maker Tim Whiten. 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, is also a recent acquisition for the collection. The bronze sculpture, which the audience is encouraged to touch, is installed on the floor.
Curated by Lillian O’Brien Davis, curator of collections and contemporary art engagement.
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Exhibition facilitation and production supported by Jenifer Papararo and Clara Halpern with art installation team for opening exhibitions Uroš Jelić (lead), Phu Bui, Corinne Carlson, Christian Echeverri, Matthew Koudys, Nykyta Kuzmicz, Nadine Maher, Jordan May, Manny Trinh.