Just a quicky update. I’ve settled on this template I believe. Over the next month or so, I hope to come in and make it look more me.
I’ll be taking part in an artist in residence at the Bill Reid Gallery of North West Coast art and I was recently interviewed for a Bravo documentary about the evolution of North West Coast art.
I HOPE to get a gallery up here soon. Yeah yeah, I’ve said that before. 
And a possible new artist statement… not ready to say its totally part of my artistic premiss, but I’ll work on it a bit. To put this in context, I’m taking part in an exhibit next year at the Bill Reid Gallery called Continuum. The premiss of the show is to create a modern discourse on traditional work. Which is something I’m doing anyway. Yet, I’m not creating traditional work… its more like I’m creating a modern discourse for traditionally inspired iconography. its complicated to explain at the moment and I don’t want this to get too wordy. Which bye the time you’re finished reading this, will have been 
iPotlatch v2: 10,000 ancestors in your pocket was commissioned by the Bill Reid Foundation with support from Arts Partners in Creative Development. ©Sonny Assu, 2008
Acrylic on Canvas, 3′x6′.
Has the iPod become the Raven? Or has the Raven become the iPod?
For the continuum project, I recognized I was in a boat that only a few others paddle along with me: we are creating traditional inspired work in a contemporary context. By adopting items of pop-culture as the new iconography. I’ve been developing a series of work call the Personal Totems series. This series explores the notion that the items of pop-culture (what we as consumers covet) have become our new totemic imagery. How will our mythos translate into a modern world? I asked myself a basic question one day: How would the Raven fit into the new world? If we are to believe our mythology, where has the Raven gone? The Raven, in essence, hasn’t gone all that far. The Raven is a cunning creature, who not only craves attention, but likes to covet items that make him happy. We have become the Raven in our contemporary culture: we covet items that make us happy. iPods, the latest cell phones, cars, money, etc.
But we never ask ourselves why. Why do I need all this shit?
Raven, the trickster, has transformed himself into Mass-Media; Poking at our brains with his commercial-break beak, telling us what we crave on a subconscious level. We crave like the Raven, But where he craved the sun for his own selfish needs… we crave a grande half foam extra hot latte. But by mistake, the Raven gave us light. And by mistake, we have created a consumer society that unites us, yet distances us from each other. We crave technology that keeps us connected, yet at the same time isolates us in our own little sound track world.
The iPod, much like Coca-Cola, has become a recognizable symbol of the modern age. To own one speaks of individuality. But to own one says I’m just like you. This tiny combination of metal, plastic, circuits and flashing lights unifies us: You might not have anything in common with the long haired, black-band-shirt-wearing-metal-head, bopping along to the screaming death metal on the bus; but when you notice he to has an iPod, you are both connected though this pop culture totem. Regardless of the fact you may or may not be listening to something completely different than him, you are part of the same clan: the iPod clan.
The iPod is the new cultural icon. But it isn’t just limited to this one particular piece of technology. The iPod is a symbol of the technology and pop-consumer movement, and it could be replaced by any other item of pop/consumer/techno-culture: Cell Phone, PDA, MP3 player, computer, laptop, running shoes, clothing, food and even a person.
My work over the past 6 months has been developing into a modern and abstract approach to form-line and design. I recognize that I am unique and that I want to set myself apart from others who use this imagery and technique. I am creating my own tradition: Appropriating imagery from the dominant culture to speak about the ideas of progression. To fully be considered in a modern discourse, we need to draw a line between assimilation and manifestation. My work is a manifestation of a new direction.
Bill Reid set out to have the stylized form-line become part of the modern art discourse. He was able to elevate our art practise into a new light. There comes a time, when the student becomes the master. I’ve taken the notion of tradition and combined it with modern imagery to form a new discourse. Why?
To inspire others to follow my path, then stray from it.
Take note kids: Always back up! For some reason, even though I didn’t touch the uploads folders, some of my art work images over the past few months has gone missing. Sucky. Anyway, I’ll be stirring the pot here on sonnyassu.com… some new elements are a comin! Soon. ish.
In the mean time, I’ve gotten say2k.tv back up and running. It will be my personal blog, pretty much devoid of my art. I’ll be using sonnyassu.com for all thing art. Stay tuned!
Been awhile, finally, new work!
Click to enlarge.
Feast Drum
Acrylic on Deer Skin w/ yellow cedar rim.
20″
2008
Technorati Tags: Paintings, Sonny Assu
Hot off the press!
Click to enlarge
Raven’s iDrum
Acrylic on Deer Skin w/ yellow cedar rim.
18″
2007
Technorati Tags: Personal Totem Series, Paintings, Sonny Assu
Nothing major, just a new database. sAy2k.tv is going through some renovations at the moment and should be up and running shortly. And by shortly I mean sometime soon(ish)
Technorati Tags: Sonny Assu
If you have an extra $12-16 laying around and want to go check out these new paintings in person and a few other new things I cooked up, here are the deets.
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR
October 25-29, 2007
METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE
North Building, Exhibit Hall A & B
255 Front Street West
PUBLIC HOURS:
Friday October 26, 12-8pm
Saturday October 27, 12-8pm
Sunday October 28, 12-7pm
Monday October 29, 12-7pm
TICKETS:
Advance tickets available at all TicketKing outlets, by phone at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333, and online at www.ticketking.com. Tickets will be sold at the door until one hour before close.
General admission - $16.00
Groups, Students and Seniors - $12.00
Four-day Pass - $40.00
Children under 10 - Free
Indeed it has been sometime since I’ve updated. A busy dramatic summer. But that will be something for the personal blog (say2k.tv/blog) Oh but do go there just yet thinking there will be juicy Sonny gossip… there will be soon. But then again, I don’t want to discourage you from checking it out as there is about 4 years of Sonny ramblings on there to keep you entertained. I feel emoticon happy today.
Regardless, here are some shots of two new painted drums that are on their way to the Toronto Art Fair. I’m trying to dig up some info on that for those of you who might be in the T-dot.
Click to enlarge
(l) iDrum: Hotel California (r) iHamatsa Nano
Acrylic on Deer hide, yellow cedar.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
For those who might be local to Manitoba, why not pop down to Brandon and check out my solo exhibit at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.
iPotlatch is my second solo show, featuring 4 new panel paintings, a new drum and a few familiar pieces that you might remember from my solo and group show here in Vancouver this past year.
August, 2007
For Immediate Release
The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba
710 Rosser Avenue
Brandon, MB
R7A 0K9
(204) 727-1036
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10:00-6:00
Admission is free
The Main Gallery PresentsSonny Assu
iPotlatch
Heather Benning
Downtime
August 30 – October 13, 2007
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 30th at 7:30pm
Heather Benning Artist Talk: Thursday, August 30th at 8:00pmBRANDON, MANITOBA….. Multinational corporations such as Starbucks and Coca Cola can have a tremendous impact on our popular and personal cultures. The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba is pleased to present two exhibitions that investigate the fallout of corporate influences on two discrete issues — Canadian agriculture practices and the representation of First Nations identities.
Artist Heather Benning’s work is highly concerned with the state of family farming in Canada today. “Changes in land use instigated by increasing industrialization are a growing concern particularly in my home province of central Saskatchewan,” states Benning. Downtime is a response to the recent anxieties over cattle farming and BSE (mad cow disease) on the prairies. Incorporating two nesting cows watching television, Benning’s sculptural installation will reflect on the serenity of a prairie pasture while referencing the dangers of rural commodification through corporate Agribusiness. Benning recently completed The Dollhouse, an abandoned farmhouse near Sinclair, Manitoba renovated to look as it did in 1968, while acting as the artist-in-residence for the town of Redvers, Saskatchewan.
Vancouver-based artist Sonny Assu’s exhibition iPotlatch explores the definition of personal lineage through the meeting of everyday consumer items and Aboriginal symbolism, thus allowing the artist to combine his pop culture roots and traditional Laich-kwil-tach heritage. While aiming to encourage discussion, thought and communication regarding the perception of traditional and contemporary cultures, Assu’s drums, paintings and textile work reflect a diversity of influences from sugar-coated breakfast cereals to West Coast Regalia blankets. With the combination of humour with social, economic, and environmental issues, Assu addresses the notion of conformity while refusing to conform to the commonly perceived definitions of an Indian Identity. Viewed together, Downtime and iPotlatch offer contrasting and complimentary takes on the ways that globalization, consumerism, branding, and disposability enter our worlds. The AGSM welcomes everyone to view the exhibitions and consider their own stance on the influence of corporate society in our lives.For more information contact Jenny Western, AGSM curator at 204.727.1036
Pulled from The Olympian
http://www.theolympian.com/194/story/98306.html
Published May 05, 2007
Bigger Seattle Art Museum delivers
Rosemary Ponnekanti
By Rosemary PonnekantiFinally, it’s here: the new, expanded Seattle Art Museum.
Opening today, the old Venturi building melds with a new silver tower. At $86 million, three years of construction and nearly 1,000 new and promised gifts of art, the expanded museum represents a substantial investment.
Does the new SAM live up to the hype? The answer is an overwhelming yes.
Not only is the city’s art in a space full of light, distance and inviting pathways, but there also is a lot more of the art itself. Work after work that languished in storage because of lack of room is now on display, providing comment on an impressive stretch of acquisitions and gifts, from Pollock and Brancusi to African masks to up-and-coming local artists such as Jason Puccinelli.
There are a number of beautifully designed rooms housing niche collections to gorgeous effect. There are a lot of little perks, such as information screens, lounges, free art and studios. Best of all, each gallery speaks with the intelligence of its curator to the dialogue of art history and visual perception.
Room to breathe
The dialogue doesn’t actually begin until the third floor, where the galleries are located. In the first two floors of free public space - the grand new entry hall, the wide forum with its Cai Guo-Qiang installation of exploding cars, the shop, the restaurant and the old Grand Staircase - the statement is brash, bright-white showing-off. SAM has space to burn, and it’s in your face.
This new building, designed by Allied Works Architecture and planned in partnership with Washington Mutual Bank, adds 118,000 square feet to the old, with another 332,000 square feet above it for future expansion.
Everything reflects that new spaciousness, from a huge gift shop to seemingly endless lobby, with all the tact of a Texas mansion.
Cai Guo-Qiang’s undeniably dramatic installation “Inopportune: Stage One” adds to the effect. His nine Ford Taurus cars, arcing from floor level up through various movie-stunt stages of suspension and back down, sparkle newly white, radiating light rods like fireworks. It’s like a Fourth of July car bomb, unbelievably celebratory. Unseen from the street on the mezzanine level is the complementary installation: a charred wreck backed by a video of its explosion in Times Square.
Inviting galleries
Pay your money and head up the escalator, though, and you step out into a different physical world. The stark white light of the lower floors is restrained via movable art walls and a sleek brise-soleil system of folding stainless steel shutters, and the vast space is shaped into nicely sized intersecting galleries. Multiple doorways create inviting pathways, aligning with each other and the windows to anchor one’s orientation.
Best of all, the gallery size fits the art perfectly. At the top of the escalator on the third floor, Rosenquist’s oversize dish rack and Warhol’s Elvis pair boldly with the dimensions.
The ’60s modernism gallery leads seamlessly into a sequence of abstract expressionism, surrealism and minimalism, each nice and small to accommodate the select group for each movement. It’s supremely navigable, the juxtapositions such as Carl Andre’s checkerboard opposite Dan Flavin’s blue and yellow lights and Donald Judd’s steel boxes, making great sense of each period.
“We wanted to show works that have dialogue, but also showing how history runs its course,” explains SAM’s curator of contemporary art, Michael Darling. “From an audience standpoint, it will be easier to digest.”
Some old works are seeing the light of day for the first time, such as Leonora Carrington’s “Luna Blanc Luna Grande.” Its central moon-face criss-crossed with ethereal threads, it was discovered by Darling boxed up in the basement.
So much to see
As part of SAM’s 75th anniversary in 2008, an astonishing 1,000 works have been recently gifted or promised to the museum - the largest such series in its history. About 100 of those are on the fourth floor in the exhibition “SAM at 75″ - works like Brancusi’s iconic sculpture “Bird in Space,” Georgia O’Keeffe’s translucent “Music - Pink and Blue No. 1″ and the lurking “Dog” by Giacometti. The rest, however, are scattered around regular galleries, contributing to the overall visual gestures.
Most stunning, perhaps, is the Barney Ebsworth gallery, in the northwest corner. About 35 feet high, it’s a meditation in gray and black: Anselm Kiefer’s gritty gray garments respond to Joseph Beuys’ wartime felt; Katharina Fritsch’s startling black rat personifies Warhol’s towering black Rorschach blots; and, in the center, stands Do-Ho Suh’s “Some/One,” an extraordinary comment on identity forged with anonymous silver military dogtags into a forbidding Korean warrior’s robe.
The same spaciousness and thoughtful curating extends upstairs and into the old building. Early American painting is expanded by decorative arts.
Traditional American Indian art is given contemporary context by works such as Sonny Assu’s ironic cereal boxes of Frosted Treaty Flakes and Salmon Loops (ingredients: sugarcoated lies, broken promises, bureaucracy). Around the corner, a small but hypnotically beautiful collection of paintings and sculpture gifted by Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi marks the first Australian Aboriginal gallery in a public museum in this country.
Nearby, the museum’s porcelain collection has been given enough space for the first time: in a stunning room of clear glass and mirrors, chinaware dances through color and design underneath an oval Tiepolo.
Likewise, the completely new Italian room provides a complete environment, its 17th-century wood paneling from Lombardy richly sensuous.
It’s impossible to outline everything in the new SAM building, just as it’s impossible to imagine a SAM expanded eight floors in 20 years’ time. That ultimately is what allows SAM to deliver on the hype: a sense that, physically, aesthetically and intellectually, art has lost its boundaries.
And for a museum, that is a real achievement. check out the museum
Where: 1300 Union St., Seattle
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays (open until midnight the first Thursday of each month through Sept. 9)
Admission: $13, $10, $7; free for ages 12 and younger; free on the first Thursday of each month; free for seniors the first Friday of each month; free for ages 19 and younger from 5 to
9 p.m. the second Friday of each month.
Information: 206-654-3100 or www.seattleartmuseum.org.