Joseph Tisiga (CNW Group/Yukon Prize for Visual Arts)
The inaugural $20,000 Yukon Prize has been awarded to Kaska Dena artist Joseph Tisiga. His winning works include Dreamcatcher, Resilience is Retaliatory and Untitled Series of 25 Astroturf Panels.
“I really appreciate this support and recognition for Yukon art,” said Tisiga.
“It would be great if the prize encourages people to come up and see what’s going on in Whitehorse," he said. "There’s really interesting work being made by Yukoners and hopefully this prize will encourage Yukon artists to take risks and do more experimental work, and encourage the art-buying public to support Yukon artists.”
Tisiga was on the long list for the Sobey Art Award in 2020, the year all 25 artists received $25,000.
The prize's co-founder, Julie Jai, said the prize was created to share Yukon art with a larger audience.
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Joseph Tisiga, “Untitled Series” (installation of nine artworks), 2020
artificial grass, plaster and watercolour, 6′ x 6′ (courtesy Yukon Arts Centre; photo by Mike Thomas)
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Joseph Tisiga, “Dream Catcher,” 2020
wall tent canvas, pastel and oil stick, 16′ x 16′ (courtesy Yukon Arts Centre; photo by Mike Thomas)
The other finalists – Sho Sho Esquiro, Veronica Verkley, Ken Anderson (KHÀTINAS.ÀXH), Amy Ball and Krystle Silverfox – each recieved $2,000. The finalists' work was featured in an exhibition at the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse.
The jury was composed of Gaëtane Verna, director of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto; Ryan Doherty, chief curator of Contemporary Calgary; and Candice Hopkins, an internationally known independent curator and a citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
The Yukon Prize is awarded every two years to recognize excellence in Yukon art and artists.
Source: Yukon Prize