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Métis visual artist Amy Malbeuf is having a very good year.
Malbeuf, from Rich Lake, has been named by the Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada to the long list of nominees for Canada’s prestigious contemporary art prize, the 2017 Sobey Art Award.
Malbeuf is one of five nominees from the Prairies and the North.
“I explore notions of identity, place, language, and ecology,” said Malbeuf of her work, which includes diverse mediums, such as caribou-moose hair tufting, beadwork, installation, performance, and video.
Malbeuf was among 150 Indigenous artists to recently receive a REVEAL Indigenous Art Award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation, which came with a $10,000 prize.
The Sobey Art Award is presented annually to a Canadian artist age 40 or under who has exhibited in a public or commercial art gallery within 18 months of being nominated. Amy Malbeuf’s Iskotew – a sculptural representation of Nehiyawewin word fire in Cree syllabics–was selected for Edmonton’s Indigenous art park, ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞.
Since it launched in 2001, the pre-eminent contemporary art award has continued to have a renowned impact in supporting the Canadian visual arts scene. The 25 nominated artists are vying for the top prize of $50,000.