Exhibitions > Archive

Carleton Curatorial Laboratory (CCL): Continuum: Abstraction in Contemporary Indigenous Art

January 18 - April 19, 2016

When abstraction emerged in European painting at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was seen in the West as an avant-garde art movement.

This version of art history, which narrowly focuses on the European modernists who “discovered” and elevated abstraction beyond its “primitive,” multicultural origins, ignores the conceptual underpinnings and rich meanings of practices of abstraction around the world.

For Indigenous artists, abstraction is both a continuation of traditional practices and an engagement with the contemporary world. This exhibition features works from the University’s collection by artists that contribute to this ongoing dialogue.