The gallery is very proud to announce the arrival of the newest in the “Coppers from the Hood” series by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Haida). This Hood is titled “Throw the Ball“, and is perfectly emblematic of the artist’s blend of multiple media, kinetic lines, elegant composition, and humor.
“The title of this hood is “throw the ball“, and the image is of a dog in play with a person. This has something to do with the fact that the two upper corners of this hood are physically dog-eared, that is, slightly folded over.
It often feels like Art is far too seriously focused and attached to this time when Our wee world is such a serious place with shadows challenging the sun. This ‘play’ wants to be seasonally energetic and call on us to think of Moments when engagement and play is possible even across species. “Throw the Ball” seeks to be totally accessible to the widest audience possible, and in this case the audience includes both the owner and the dog.” -Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, July 2017
The Coppers from the Hood series was inaugurated in 2007 at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) in Vancouver, Canada, as part of the exhibition Meddling in the Museum. Using an automobile hood, the works are covered in copper leaf and painted with Yahgulanaas’ distinctive Haida Manga imagery. The sculptures reference both traditional Haida coppers – a symbol of wealth in the indigenous community – and the car as signifier of social and economic status in contemporary society. The first two Coppers are installed at the entrance to the Museum of Anthropology. More than a dozen Coppers have now been created and are held in private and public collections, including the British Museum, and most recently the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016.
Coppers from the Hood emerged as a result of the artist’s search for a new and innovative medium for his work, while developing artworks for an exhibition at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Canada. Yahgulanaas liked the smooth surface of the car hood, its resistance to degradation, and the meticulous engineering and aerodynamic accomplishment of “the car,” which he views as “the modern canoe.”
The artist is currently working on an 18 foot wide and 2 foot high mural in Haida Manga style that has been commissioned by a major US art institution.