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National Gallery unveils 2017 Canadian Biennial

The National Gallery of Canada launches its fourth Canadian Biennial this week, with contemporary Canadian, Indigenous and — for the first time — international artists on full display.

Exhibits span sculpture, photography, painting, video, mixed media

CBC News ·
This gift to the gallery is the work of American artist Mickalene Thomas. (Mario Carlucci/CBC)

The National Gallery of Canada launches its fourth Canadian Biennial this week, with contemporary Canadian, Indigenous and — for the first time — international artists on full display.

The exhibits represent a sample of acquisitions by the gallery's departments of contemporary art and Indigenous art, and by the Canadian Photography Institute, over the last three years. 

According to the gallery's website, some of the themes and subjects explored in the 2017 Canadian Biennial exhibits include "migration, the impact and interpretation of history and belief systems on contemporary art and culture, stereotypes of identity and nationhood, and the emancipatory potential of the imagination and creativity ... that reflects the gallery's pursuits in building an outstanding and pertinent collection of art today."

The exhibition runs until March 2018.

Brian Jungen's work often involves the transformation of everyday objects. This work, created with cafeteria trays and a television inside, defies easy description. (Mario Carlucci/CBC)
Kent Monkman's Casualties of Modernity, a mixed-media installation with HD video. (Mario Carlucci/CBC)
Beau Dick was a Kwakwaka'wakw master carver and hereditary chief from the northern tip of Vancouver Island. He was known for his mask carvings and as an advocate for Indigenous rights. (Mario Carlucci/CBC)

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