In the Shadow of the Sun: Perspectives on Contemporary Native Art

Patricia Morley is professor emeritus of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University and the author of Margaret Laurence: The Long
Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This volume consists of English translations of most of the essays in
the exhibition catalogue for In the Shadow of the Sun, originally
published in German, and one new article by Viviane Gray.

The 22 essays, along with many small black-and-white illustrations of
contemporary Indian and Inuit art, provide an overview of Canadian
Native art as it continues to evolve. The wide-ranging topics include
Native social concerns, Indian and white relations, Inuit esthetics,
cultural histories, and postmodern movements in Indian art and
literature.

The typeface is blunt and unattractive, and the lack of color seriously
detracts from the effectiveness of many images. No doubt the Museum
suffers from financial constraints. Even in black and white, however,
the vitality and creativity of Native masks and of images, carvings, and
artifacts of many kinds is strikingly evident. There are also
photographs of contemporary Native life and of individual artists,
including Inuit women textile artists.

In the Shadow of the Sun offers a broad portrait of contemporary work
from the hands of Canada’s Indian and Inuit artists.