Shifting Time and Place: Luke Parnell examines transformative narratives within Northwest Coast Indigenous art. Learn about his series of thought-provoking paintings, recently acquired.

Luke Parnell’s artistic practice plays amidst notions of past, present and future. He’s primarily concerned with investigating oral histories and contemporary iterations within Northwest Coast Indigenous art. Raised on the western coast of Canada in a community where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people live together, Parnell is Wilp Laxgiik Nisga’a from Gingolx on his mother’s side and Haida from Massett on his father’s side. He’s informed both by tradition—he completed an apprenticeship with a Master Northwest Coast Indigenous carver—and by academia: he holds both a BFA and an MAA from OCADU and ECUAD, respectively. A multidisciplinary artist and assistant professor at OCADU, his work has been shown in a range of exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada, the MacLaren Art Centre and more.

For a deeper look into Parnell’s work, watch his conversation with Curator Wanda Nanibush, from September 2020. This Art in the Spotlight talk was generously supported by TD Ready Commitment. 

Watch, here.