Mary Ann Penashue

Mary Ann Penashue’s paintings are a window into Innu life. Her vibrant canvases map the diversity and uniqueness she observes among the approximately 1,950 citizens in her community, Sheshatshiu Innu Nation, a reserve 40 kilometres north of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. Penashue’s suite of new works created for the Biennale are an important contribution, enabling viewers to acknowledge nearby places, which they may not have encountered or understand. Penashue’s work calls attention to the resonance between the people and the land, and the land to the people. Each portrait elevates Innu presence, survival and resilience, more than often absent from mainstream society. They are an invitation to celebrate the important history and relations throughout Nitassinan (our land).

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mary Ann Penashue is an Innu artist born in 1964 on Birch Island near Goose Bay, Labrador, and residing in Sheshatshiu, Labrador. Raised by her grandparents in a small village called Mud Lake, Mary Ann learned from them Innu culture and traditions. Having been an active art maker for over twenty-five years, she has had significant recognition for her figurative paintings of “Tshenut” (Elders) in her community. Solo exhibitions of Penashue’s work have been held at Christina Parker Gallery, St. John’s; the Labrador Interpretation Centre, North West River, NL; and Lee Matasi Gallery, Ottawa. In 2007 she was named “Emerging Artist of the Year” by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.