Feb. 20, 2019
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – A new exhibition at the Robert Langen Art Gallery on Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus fuses a distinct Anishinaabeg aesthetic from the Great Lakes region with refuse from the technological and digital age. Barry Ace, a mixed-media artist and band member of the M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island, juxtaposes familiar Anishinaabeg materials including glass beads and porcupine quills with discarded electronic components such as capacitors and resistors to create works of art.

As part of Indigenous Education Week at Laurier, Ace will present an artist lecture on Thursday, March 7 from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the Paul Martin Centre, with a reception in the gallery to follow. Ace’s exhibition, Coalesce, runs from Feb. 25 until April 6. All events are free and open to the public.

“Coalesce presents an entanglement of materials that intentionally shifts our paradigm of thinking and challenges us to re-examine notions of cultural status,” said Suzanne Luke, curator of the Robert Langen Art Gallery.

“Coalesce demonstrates the continuum of Anishinaabeg innovation and expression by making use of disparate materials that knowingly coalesce and segue seamlessly into contemporary Anishinaabeg artistic tradition and material culture,” Ace said in his artist statement.

Ace’s work can be found in public and private collections in Canada and around the world, including in the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum. In 2015, Ace was the recipient of the KM Hunter Visual Artist Award. He currently resides in Ottawa.

About the Robert Langen Art Gallery: The Robert Langen Art Gallery is Wilfrid Laurier University’s visual arts centre. Exhibition programs and activities are connected to the university’s curriculum to foster creative thinking, exploration of ideas and community. For more information about the gallery and its programs, contact Suzanne Luke, curator, at 519.884.0710 x3801.