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CM . . . .
Volume VI Number 20 . . . . June 9, 2000
It is common to hear people speak of "Aboriginal Art" as if it were a "style" or "school" of
painting, similar in technique, theme, or composition, much as the works of the Group of Seven
or the French Impressionists reflect a collective sensibility. Contemporary Aboriginal artists are as
diverse in their technical training, their thematic interests, and their politics as are any group of
painters. Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun is a modernist who skillfully depicts modern issues -
depletion of the ozone layer, clear-cut logging, racism - using traditional symbols and myths
drawn from his Salish heritage. An urban Indian living in Vancouver, Yuxweluptun is a highly
political artist: the video opens at a rifle range in Britain, where Yuxweluptun shoots pages of
"The Indian Act," first passed by the Canadian government in 1868. Framed copies of the
bullet-riddled paper are later displayed in Vancouver at the Grunt Gallery's exhibit of "An Indian
shooting The Indian Act." Performance art, computer-generated "virtual reality", and paint on
canvas - Yuxweluptun employs a variety of techniques, and the video does a good job of
depicting the range of his work.
Although Yuxweluptun: Man of Masks is highly effective in presenting the artist's work, I felt
that it was less successful in revealing the man behind the masks. I didn't get a strong sense of
Yuxweluptun as a person, although he is obviously a man of strong convictions and passionate
belief. Perhaps twenty-one minutes is too short a time to provide much depth. However, as a
Canadian resource for senior high school art students, Yuxweluptun: Man of Masks serves a
useful, if limited, purpose.
Recommended with Reservations.
Joanne Peters is the teacher-librarian at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, MB.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - June 9, 2000.
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