Not only is Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’ art going up on the walls of the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art, but he’s also said to be the first living Canadian Indigenous artist to have his work displayed at the museum in the contemporary category.
Yahgulanaas’ piece, “Yelthadaas,” is inspired by the shield-like totems exchanged by Haida chiefs at potlatches. The piece uses a car hood as a canvas, with black, curvy, contemporary Haida imagery superimposed on it.
In the comments section of The Metropolitan’s Aug. 9 Instagram post announcing his piece, Yahgulanaas shared the unique details of the museum’s acquisition.
“I am told that this is the first work by a living Indigenous artist ‘from’ Canada to be exhibited outside the constraints of ethnic art. Thanks to the Modern and Contemporary Art curators (current and past) for this,” it reads.
There’s more news of his success, too. Yahgulanaas, an award-winning contemporary visual artist, writer and speaker, has created a unique cross-cultural genre called Haida Manga, which incorporates Japanese Manga drawings with Haida design and stories.
He has already published graphic novels in the style, and now he’s been commissioned to create a large-scale mural that will become part of the permanent collection of prominent (and yet to disclosed) American museum. Using watercolours and ink, Yahgulanaas will be covering eight large panels of rare Japanese paper to tell a story. Called “Carpenters Fin,”Yahgulanaas has been posting sneak peaks online, as shown below.
