Daphne Odjig

Daphne Odjig grew up on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Her grandfather, a stone carver, taught her drawing alongside oral family traditions. Informed by Odawa and Potawatomi perspectives, her work addresses family, memory and spiritual relationships. Painting and drawing connect personal experience with collective history, paying particular attention to bonds of protection, care and transmission between generations.

In Repose, three faces brought together through soft contours evoke an affectionate presence. This intimate dimension accompanies a lasting public commitment. A cofounder of Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., Odjig advocated recognition of Indigenous creators as contemporary artists. Her Winnipeg gallery became a meeting place and source of mutual support. Her practice thus combines visual invention with the creation of spaces where other artists could be heard and develop their work.