Shawn Hunt: Transformation

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Shawn Hunt, (detail,) nd

courtesy of the artist and Macaulay & Co. Fine Art.

Shawn Hunt is one of the most original artists currently working on British Columbia’s Northwest Coast. An innovator and challenger of traditions Hunt routinely seeks new ways in which to express his ideas and provide comment on issues affecting Indigenous Canadians.

This installation at the Audain Art Museum will feature a unique collection of works by Shawn Hunt for a limited time only. 

Transformation masks are some of the most intricate, innovative and captivating sculptural forms created, worn and danced by Indigenous peoples from across the globe including those of the Northwest Coast.

Traditionally, transformation masks have been carved out of native wood found along British Columbia’s richly forested coast, notably red or yellow cedar, for generations. Exploration into the concept of transformation continues today. Shawn Hunt has embraced this idea and forged new and innovative ways in which to present, experience and think about transformation and its relationship to Northwest Coast Indigenous art. Where Hunt diverges most prolifically from tradition is in his “sculptural and mixed reality” piece titled Transformation Mask – a collaborative work between Hunt, Microsoft and their studio, The Garage.

Transformation Mask is, “an interactive installation that features the technology HoloLens. It utilizes electronics and mechanical engineering in a physical transformation, before beginning a holographic experience for the viewer.” The work is a hybrid between the physicality of a transformation mask and the ephemeral experience of being part of the transformation. Visitors are asked to engage with and become part of the installation and to explore the art that is transformation.