September 21 – December 1
Threat Return (2023), originally commissioned for the Liverpool Biennial, consists of seven bronze sculptures in traditional busts that evoke Indigenous American and African basketry and portraits of ski-masked robbers. Installed on concrete plinths in the Oak Room at Union Station—the main railway station and transportation hub in Toronto—the sculptures operate as a ghostly presence that reoccupies settler colonial space and reclaims the return of Indigenous cultural property.
As in many of his works, the artist draws attention to the theft, dispossession, and destruction of Indigenous cultures while challenging settler colonial thinking and imaginaries. His sculptures often function as a haunting presence that calls for accountability in the face of colonial violence.
Made possible with the generous support of Peter Blum Gallery.
Bio
Nicholas Galanin (b. 1979; Lingit/Unangax̂)’s work engages contemporary culture from his perspective rooted in connection to the land. He embeds incisive observation into his work, investigating intersections of culture and concept in form, image and sound. Galanin’s works embody critical thought as vessels of knowledge, culture and technology – inherently political, generous, unflinching, and poetic.
Galanin engages past, present and future to expose intentionally obscured collective memory and barriers to the acquisition of knowledge. His works critique the commodification of culture while contributing to the continuum of Tlingit art. Galanin employs materials and processes that expand dialogue on Indigenous artistic production, and how culture can be carried. His work is in numerous public and private collections and exhibited worldwide. Galanin apprenticed with master carvers, earned his BFA at London Guildhall University, and his MFA at Massey University, he lives and works with his family in Sitka, Alaska.
Location
- Accessibility
Toronto Union Station
The entrance to the train station is accessible by wheelchair. A wheelchair lift is available.
Building is AODA-compliant
Parking: Paid Green P parking is available at 40 York Street
- Getting There
Toronto Union Station
By subway: Union Station is located on Line 1.
By streetcar: The 509 Harbourfront goes directly to the Union Station streetcar platform.
UP Express: The UP express can be taken directly from the airport to Union Station.