Son of the Shaman
Exhibition of works by Christian and Norval Morrisseau
Exhibition Dates: September 21 st – November 5 th, 2017
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 21 st, 2017, 6pm – 9pm
RSVP: [email protected]
Locations: Thompson Landry Gallery Pop-Up Gallery at 39 Parliament Street, with works also
displayed at 32 Distillery Lane & 6 Trinity Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 3C4
Website: www.thompsonlandry.com
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm, Sunday 12pm – 5pm, or by appointment
Contact: To set up an appointment, please contact Joanne Thompson at
[email protected] or call the gallery at 416-364-4955
Thompson Landry Gallery is very proud to present Son of the Shaman, an exhibition encompassing the
work of Norval Morrisseau (1932-2007), “the Picasso of the North, ” alongside his son and artistic heir,
Christian Morrisseau (b.1969). In collaboration with David Harris (Founder of the Museum of Inuit
Art), Son of the Shaman will feature over 50 works, some of which are larger than 100” X 200” in size.
In celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, works from Son of the Shaman will be on display in three
Gallery Spaces at the Historic Distillery District in Toronto: a 2500 square foot pop-up gallery space at
39 Parliament Street, as well as both the Thompson Landry Gallery Cooperage and Stone Gallery
Spaces. This once in a lifetime exhibition will run September 21 st through November 5 th, 2017.
Son of the Shaman is accrued from the Christian Morrisseau New Directions project - one of the largest and longest-standing focused efforts in Anishnaabe art history. This project, which commenced in 2010, has been prepared for documentation (web/publication) and exhibition in conjunction with a vast collection of paintings by Norval Morrisseau (R.C.A.). All exhibited paintings by Norval Morrisseau have passed expert signature analysis examination 1. Works will be on rotation throughout the exhibition to display the magnitude of their artistic production.
Tracing three generations of shamanistic tradition through visual expression, Son of the Shaman pays homage to Norval and Christian Morrisseau’s unique representation of Anishnaabe (Ojibwa) culture. Norval’s grandfather, Potan, was a well-known shaman who directly influenced the artist’s milieu and subsequently, his grandson Christian. Christian’s standing as artistic-heir through this ancestry is illustrated throughout the scope of his creative output and based in the intention of maintaining balance between the physical and spiritual worlds.