By Courtney Almeida

Kiskayetum exhibit on display at Art Gallery of Grande Prairie

Jan 17, 2019 | 4:30 AM

‘Kiskayetum’, an exhibition titled after renowned Indigenous artist Allen Sapp, is on display at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie from now until June 16th.

The title of the exhibit reflects the artist’s Cree given name.

“That name has been the title of a lot of his shows,” says Jeff Erbach, Executive Director of the AGGP.  “Just because it’s a moniker for him and it also expresses some of his work.”

Saap continues to be recognized as one of the most prolific Canadian painters to date. He was one of the first professional Indigenous artists to make a living from his work.

Born on the Red Pheasant Reserve, in Saskatchewan, Saap battled illness throughout much of his early life.

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It was determined by an elder, that in order for him to live, he would have to be re-named in the traditional Cree way.

Saap would soon be awarded the name Kiskayetum, meaning “he perceives it” or “he knows it.”

“Allen Sapp’s paintings play a key role in the awareness and preservation of his Cree culture; they serve as a way to share his traditional upbringing and indigenous identity,” Danielle Ribar, Curator of the exhibition and Associate Curator at the Gallery, said while explaining the importance of the exhibit.

All fourteen paintings on display are part of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie’s permanent collection, which now holds over 750 works of art.

“This exhibition is a positive reflection of the work the Gallery does in preserving art. We’re an Art Museum, and we have a really large and important collection of pieces that speak to people’s histories and experiences in this country.  Allen Sapp’s works are really prized documents of what it was like to be a First Nation’s person working the land in Canada,” Erbach said.

The globally recognized painter has been awarded some of the nation’s highest honours such as being an officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and in 1999 he received the National Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award.

Saap passed away on December 29, 2015, but the North Battleford natives narrative style paintings continue to be recognized and enjoyed by the masses.

Doors are open to the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie from Tuesday to Sunday, free of charge.