Ahmoo Angeconeb at the opening reception, photo by Alastair C. MacKay, The AG
“Here, in this room, we must hold our reverence close to our heads, for with these works we enter the sacred space of prayer.”
These are the opening words in the 2007 curatorial essay by Glenn Allison, then curator at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery (The AG). The essay was prepared for Ahmoo’s Prayer, an exhibition that was originated by The AG and shown there in 2007. Allison wrote that “this open-ended series of work, begun in 2000, is a restorative vision propelled in part by the artist’s illness and surgery in 2006. Family history and biography are embedded here. All families have their stories, and all families experience ill health and recovery in varying degrees.” He stated that “the artist, Ahmoo Angeconeb, precedes each drawing with a prayer. Prayer is an act of reconciliation, a gesture of atonement, and the expression of profound concern.”
The current exhibition features selected drawings from the 2007 exhibition and is showing in the Meeting Room Gallery until April 27.
For more information on Ahmoo Angeconeb, read the story in the March issue of The Walleye; for The AG hours, visit theag.ca.