Daphne Odjig: 100

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Daphne Odjig,"Tapestry of Time," 1987

Collection of Marty and Maureen Pope.

Daphne Odjig’s 100^th Year Celebration Exhibition 

An opening reception will be held to celebrate the exhibition Friday, September 13th at 6:00 to 8 pm. It is a free event, open to Gallery members and guests, by invitation.

A capsule retrospective of the late artist Daphne Odjig is set to open on Friday, September 13th at 6:00 at the Kelowna Art Gallery on the week of what would have been her 100th birthday.

Odjig is one of Canada’s most celebrated Indigenous painters and printmakers, and has often been referred to as “the grandmother of Canadian Indigenous art”.

The Daphne Odjig 100, exhibition includes twelve large-scale paintings that were sourced from local collectors. The pieces were selected to illustrate different periods in the artist’s career. Visitors will be able to trace the life and times of the artist as she goes from experiencing the challenges of being an Indigenous person in a time of systemic oppression in Canada, to becoming a celebrated artist and National treasure, sure of herself and her artistic voice.

In her earlier works, such as Nanabozo and the Hoot Owls (1969), People of the Forest (1969), and Nanabush and Windigo (1968), we meet Daphne Odjig as an emerging artist—the choice of colours, figures, and tension present in these early works denote angst and discomfort. These pieces embrace the darker aspects of the human spirit and condition, and are charged with an intensity in flame-like hues, expressing a sense of pain, anguish, or anger.

In contrast, Odjig’s later works, such as Messengers of Peace (1991), Canopy of Protection (1987), and Tapestry of Time(1987), are serene and subdued in their colour pallettes of blues, greens, icy violets, corals, and various pastels. The characters depicted in these paintings are interwoven with the background, which can be viewed as portraying a oneness; a deeper connection to their environment, to their community, and the celestial heavens.