David Wilson Sookinakin: Pictograph Roots
January 9, 2025 @ 10:00 am – March 5, 2025 @ 5:00 pm
David Wilson Sookinakin: Pictograph Roots
Exhibition on view from January 9 – March 5
Over the years, David Wilson Sookinakin has developed a signature style of paintings based on the traditional pictographs found on numerous locations throughout Syilx Nation Territory. He uses pictorial elements which often illustrate some of the stories and narratives passed down through oral tradition and storytelling. In addition to the traditional narratives, Wilson creates narratives which he invents to highlight the context of post-contact experiences of First Nations peoples. Nevertheless, Wilson’s artforms have been evolving over several decades of his prolific artistic career.
“My art is ever evolving and is a true representation of my identity as an Interior Salish person. It is natural evolution of pictographs from their ancient form to a contemporary interpretation using form lines unique to First Nations art. I am a storyteller through art and words and my message to the Interior Salish people and the world is that we Interior Salish have at least one beautiful and vibrant First Nations art form totally unique and must be shared with the world.”
David Wilson Sookinakin
2024, acrylic on canvas, 66 x 66 in
