Sonny Assu: Confluence

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As a member of the Ligwiłda’xw of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations on Vancouver Island, Sonny Assu confronts the impacts of Canada’s colonial history upon Indigenous People —including the loss of land, language, cultural belongings, traditional knowledge, and autonomy. Through his multimedia work, he seeks to spark meaningful dialogue around Indigenous realities, often weaving in humour and pop culture references to create meaningful connections with his audience. Drawing on the rich visual traditions and lived histories of his ancestors, Assu reclaims and reinterprets narratives of power, identity and authority through a contemporary lens that centres Indigenous vitality and perspectives.

Sonny Assu is an Indigenous artist of the Ligwiłda’xw of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nations, who was raised in North Delta, BC and currently resides on ancestral land on Vancouver Island. He studied at Emily Carr University and received his MFA from Concordia University. Assu has received numerous awards and distinctions including Distinguished Alumnus award from Emily Carr University, BC Creative Achievement Award in First Nations Art in 2011, named a Laureate for the Hnatyshyn Foundation’s REVEAL - Indigenous Art Awards in 2017, and is an Eiteljorg Contemporary Arts Fellowship recipient for 2021. Assu has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally, and he has work in various public and private collection across Canada, the UK, USA, and Australia.