Sonny Assu

Sonny Assu is a contemporary visual artist from Ligwilda'xw Kwakwaka'wakw. The impetus behind his work is to illuminate the dark, hidden history of Canada's actions and inactions towards Indigenous peoples. His art is often infused with wry humor to foster dialogue and address the realities of being Indigenous in the colonial state of Canada. 

Assu earned his BFA from Emily Carr University in 2002 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006. He was honored with the BC Creative Achievement Award in First Nations Art in 2011 and was long-listed for the Sobey Art Award three times. He completed his MFA at Concordia University in 2017 and was a laureate of the Reveal Indigenous Art Awards that same year. His works are part of prominent collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Seattle Art Museum, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and several others across Canada, the U.S., and the UK.