Paintings by Indigenous artist Alex Janvier unveiled in Alberta legislature

Striking, kaleidoscopic art was unveiled at the Alberta legislature on Monday morning ahead of the throne speech.

Indigenous artist Alex Janvier, 84, painted a diptych entitled Sunrise and Sunset that will be permanently featured in the legislative assembly chamber.

“These stunning works of art by Alex Janvier will forever honour the past and present contributions of Indigenous peoples to our province and serve as reminders to all members of the legislative assembly that we must never lose sight of our ultimate duty, which is to ensure the decisions we make on behalf of our constituents create positive and meaningful change in the lives of all Albertans, presently and for generations to come,” said Speaker Robert Wanner.

“It provides an additional missing piece of history that has not been reflected in this chamber: the Indigenous history of our province, the first keepers of this land.”

Alex Janvier created two paintings for the Alberta legislature that were unveiled on Monday.
Alex Janvier created two paintings for the Alberta legislature that were unveiled on Monday.

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The work was commissioned by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) for its centennial and gifted to the legislature.

“Alex is a world leader in Indigenous art, and we felt it was important for his work and artistic voice to have a presence in our legislature,” said AUPE president Guy Smith.

“When Albertans look upon Sunrise and Sunset in the chamber, we hope they’re reminded of all the hard-working people throughout the province. Day and night, Albertans are hard at work providing the services we all depend on, and their tireless contributions have made our province an amazing place to live and work.”

Source: Global News Canada