ABOVE: The gaze of this stuffed polar bear is haunting in the new exhibit “We Dreamt Deaf” by artist Nicholas Galanin. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review
By Julia Berkman
A shocking sight greets visitors to the fifth-floor VU gallery. There are only two pieces: a taxidermied wolf and polar bear, the back half of each flattened into a rug, and the other still upright and growling. On the wall, a video of a dancer moving to indigenous drum beats plays on a loop.
ABOVE: Projector art by Nicholas Galanin. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review
Artist Nicholas Galanin has said that the show “references the alien (European) tradition of settlers bringing beliefs of supremacy, manifest destiny and disregard to indigenous lands.”
Galanin has been featured as one of the top ten artists of 2016 by First American Art Magazine, as well as being included in several art listicles by “The Stranger.” His work has been displayed in Trench Gallery in Vancouver as well as in the National Gallery of Canada.
“Through creating I assert my freedom,” Galanin said about his creative process.
We Dreamt Deaf will be on display in the VU Gallery for the next few weeks. Galanin himself spoke at Western on January 12 about his work and his life.
ABOVE: A partially skinned wolf installation for “We Dreamt Deaf.” Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review