Robert HouleLife & Work

“Houle reconciles and synthesizes contemporary art trends and Indigenous traditions, encouraging a renewed vision of the world that regains the missing caverns of First Nations cultural memory. His work exposes issues affecting Indigenous peoples, including land rights, fighting for the rights of Indigenous art and artists, and decolonizing the museum and the self.”

– Shirley Madill

Robert Houle: Life & Work reveals how Houle’s work has impacted First Nations art and opened critical discussion and views on political and cultural issues surrounding First Nations peoples, including defining Indigenous identity, portraying the impact of colonialism, responding to crises such as Oka, and addressing land claims and residential schools. Robert Houle has played an important role in bridging the gap between contemporary First Nations artists and the broader Canadian art scene through his writing and involvement in early, important high-profile exhibitions such as Land, Spirit, Power: First Nations at the National Gallery of Canada in 1992. This book also explores the artist’s site-specific and public arts projects and residencies, showing the impact on and import of the artist’s work in Canadian art.

Copyright Information

Banner Image: Robert Houle, Parfleches for the Last Supper (Jude), 1983. Winnipeg Art Gallery, gift of Mr. Carl T. Grant, Artvest Inc., (G-86-460­ to G-86-472). © Robert Houle.