Conversation and Opening Reception

Description

Additional Information

In his exhibition Dark Chapters, David Garneau presents meticulously rendered metaphorical still life paintings of objects set in intriguing, deliberate arrangements. These configurations illustrate the intertwined reality of modern and traditional Indigenous life alongside the complicated ramifications of colonization. Garneau titled the exhibition Dark Chapters to conjure Justice Murray Sinclair’s description of the residential school system in the Reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as “one of the darkest, most troubling chapters in our nation’s history.” As with traditional still life painting, the items in Garneau’s work carry deep significance, associations, and stories. The titles of Garneau’s paintings are also an important part of his meaning-making, which guide viewers toward understanding his intention while prompting thoughtful dialogue around reconciliation. 

David Garneau (Métis Nation of Saskatchewan) is a Professor of Visual Arts at the University of Regina. He is a painter, curator, and writer who engages creative and critical expressions of Indigenous contemporary ways of knowing, being, and doing. He received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Art: Outstanding Achievement, was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada (both 2023), and received The Order of Gabriel Dumont Silver Medal and King Charles III Coronation Medal (both 2025). 

Arin Fay is a curator living near Kaslo, British Columbia. Her areas of special interest include publications, curatorial writing, and advocating for art and artists. An active member of the arts and culture community in the Kootenay region for thirty years, as an artist, writer and curator. Arin is currently the Curator at the Nelson Museum, Archives and Gallery in Nelson, BC.

Dark Chapters is a touring exhibition curated by Arin Fay from the Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery. It is accompanied by a publication of the same name.