Quick Pick — George Clutesi at Legacy Art Gallery
Exhibition name written in the c̓išaaʔatḥ language in honour of the late artist
George Clutesi, The Storm, 1959, oil on canvas (photo courtesy of University of Victoria Art Collections, private collection)
The life and legacy of renowned Indigenous artist, activist and scholar George Clutesi is the subject of GEORGE CLUTESI: ḥašaḥʔap / ʔaapḥii / ʕc̓ik / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ / ʔiiḥmisʔap, on view at Legacy Art Gallery Downtown in Victoria from April 16 to July 26, 2025.
The exhibition is presented by the University of Victoria Art Collections and was first shown at Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver in late 2024-early 2025.
The name of the exhibition is written in the c̓išaaʔatḥ language in honour of the late artist: ḥašaḥʔap (keep, protective); ʔaapḥii (generous); ʕac̓ik (talented) / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ (strong willed) and ʔiiḥmisʔap (treasure).
It features Clutesi's artworks, archival photos, news accounts and a documentary about his support for residential school survivors, as well as art from contemporary Nuu-chah-nulth artists and scholars inspired by his work.
Participating artists include Hjalmer Wenstob (Tla-o-quiaht), Timmy Masso (Tla-o-quiaht), Marika Swan (Tla-o-quiaht), and Petrina Dezall (Mowachaht/Muchalaht).
Born in 1905 in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Clutesi died in 1988. A member of the Order of Canada, he worked as a fisherman and as a pile driver to support his family. After friends encouraged him, he began showing his paintings in the 1940s and 1950s; he also worked extensively as an actor, playwright and author. Fellow painter Emily Carr was a fan of his art, so much so that she left him her brushes, oils and unused canvases in her will.
“All my paintings will be devoted to the past life of my own people … their mode of hunting, their love of the sea, and some of their dances and plays,” said Clutesi in a 1959 newspaper report, according to a story in IndigiNews.
“I know the history behind these paintings and they all mean something to us.” ■
GEORGE CLUTESI: ḥašaḥʔap / ʔaapḥii / ʕc̓ik / ḥaaʔaksuqƛ / ʔiiḥmisʔap, on view at Legacy Art Gallery Downtown in Victoria, British Columbia, from April 16 to July 26, 2025.
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UVic Legacy Gallery Downtown
630 Yates St, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 1K9
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