Arts The Marooned Art of Sonny Assu
posted by June 7 at 11:15 AM
onIn all the architectural and big-name chatter at the SAM opening, many interesting and more obscure artists were pushed aside, most of them dead or at the very least already established (the late John Covert and the very much alive Jo Baer, who was born in Seattle and educated at UW and who might make a good SAM survey considering her various turns, for example).
But then there’s the young Canadian artist Sonny Assu, whose work is marooned in a hallway off the Native American galleries. His cereal boxes are bitingly revamped to reflect the relationship between natives and the governments that screwed them: “Treaty Flakes,” “Lucky Beads,” “Salmon Crisp,” “Salmon Loops,” “Bannock Pops.”
In case you noticed his work dangling out there alone in the hall and wondered in what context it really belonged, Assu will talk about his art and influences Saturday (June 9) at 6 pm at SAM’s auditorium.*
*(We might have Suggested this, or at least run it in the listings, but Seattle Art Museum sent the release about the event after the paper went to press this week.)
Comments
unfortunately this could be mistaken for a photoshop phriday on somethingawful.com. does that mean its any less funny? no! does it mean it's great? maybe? does it mean im going to pay money to see the stuff? no!
I have to say that when I stumbled on this piece, in a little hallway just off the purple palace of yard sale treasures, I was immediately cheered up.
Its a smart, ironic, funny, modern piece, that reminds you the world is not all gold leafed picture frames the size of billboards.
I did pay money to see it, and I am glad I did.
His series of cereal boxes was one of the best displays of modern art at the new SAM.
"General Custer" is a good one. "Good source of trickery" is heavy-handed and dumb, though.
looks kinda clumsy to me.
I have a poster of his someone gave me: "Enjoy Coast-Salish." The name of a tribe, all in the Coca-Cola red and white style. It's quite good.
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