The portrait series Mask is a departure from my previous work in multimedia landscape photography. These large color prints document First Nations people who have come up against cultural assumptions about their heritage throughout their careers. Whether they are archaeologists like Michael White, hired to excavate bones in a suburban residential development, or actors like Fernando Hernandez, who played a Mayan shaman in Mel Gibson’s film Apocalypto, they have all had to combat prevailing stereotypes in order to establish and retain their own identity. During the portrait sittings for Mask I initiated a dialogue with my subjects, seeking their thoughts on the notion of identity. To undermine historic Indian portraiture, I invited the sitters to look into the lens and make a facial gesture. The results are fresh and often startling images that are neither stoic nor noble.

—Arthur Renwick

Arthur Renwick

Photo-based artist Arthur Renwick (Haisla) was born in Kitimat, British Columbia, in 1965, received fine arts degrees from both Vancouver Community College (1986) and Emily Carr University of Art + Design (1989) in Vancouver, and received his master of fine arts (1993) from Concordia University in Montréal. Renwick creates thoughtfully crafted works that combine photography with wood, aluminum and copper. In addition to having received numerous Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council awards, Renwick won the K. M. Hunter Artist Award in 2005.

Selected Artwork

Selected Solo Exhibitions