The Seriousness of Play

This exhibition explores the work of internationally celebrated visual artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. His distinctive artwork twists and blends Haida art with a broad range of contemporary cultural references. In Red: A Haida Manga (2008), his award winning graphic novel and large-scale mural, the artist draws on Manga aesthetic (an Asian style of comic) and blends it with western and Indigenous stylistic elements, in order to illustrate a story, form his family’s past. Surreal happenings, colourful characters and contemporary themes permeate Yahgulanaas’ artworks and speak to an intersection of cultures that define the contemporary moment.