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About

Michael Snow
Clothed Woman (In Memory of my Father) 1963
 oil and lucite on canvas
152 x 386.2 cm
Purchased 1966
National Gallery of Canada

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Indigenous Art

Brian Jungen, People's Flag, 2006, recycled textile materials, natural and synthetic fibres, 452 x 904 cm irregular

Aboriginal Art

Inuit Art

Brian Jungen, People's Flag, 2006, recycled textile materials, natural and synthetic fibres, 452 x 904 cm irregular

A new collecting area, Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada includes works from Aboriginal Peoples of Canada as well as art from indigenous peoples around the globe.

The collection of Indigenous Art includes many divergent artistic practices that operate outside of established western canons of art and art history. Many contemporary indigenous artists draw on their ancestral connections, combining these with their knowledge and engagement with contemporary international art practices. The resulting art is often a critique of current social conditions that are the consequence of colonial histories. The experience of forced assimilation, cultural repression, and displacement, common to many indigenous peoples are defining characteristics of these art forms.