Better Living Through Art
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas shares his thoughts on art and artists — and always saying yes to new opportunities By Sheri radford
Michael nicoll Yahgulanaas has never shied away from a challenge . at age 63 , he keeps agreeing to demanding new undertakings , everything from creating an enormous piece for the Seattle art Museum to writing the libretto for an opera based on one of his books . He says with a laugh , “ a young man ’ s brain says yes , and an old man ’ s body says whoops .”
Originally from the remote islands of Haida gwaii , tucked away on British Columbia ’ s West Coast , Yahgulanaas spent 27 years working in community politics , helping to build bridges between people : “ if everyone ’ s got a voice and everyone counts , then everybody ’ s included .” eventually , in his late 40s , he realized that if he didn ’ t start pursuing his art , he never would , so he left politics . “ it was a good decision ,” he says . Thankfully , the Haida culture he grew up in has “ a strong visual community ,” and “ being an artist is a respected career path .”
Since that monumental decision , Yahgulanaas has worked in various media , including acrylics , watercolours , ink drawings , ceramics , illustrated books , mixed-media sculptures , large-scale public-art projects and even repurposed automobile parts . “ i like doing things at the same time . i like to keep it busy .” and his pieces have hung in venues as close to home as the Vancouver art gallery and the Vancouver international airport and as far-flung as the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of art in new York .
To house all his different ongoing projects , he has a studio in West Vancouver and another in downtown Vancouver . But he covets one more , specifically for the wintertime light : “ i ’ d love to have a big studio in Calgary for a couple of months , just January and February , when that white light is just amazing . Here , on the West Coast , it ’ s always blues , greys , silvers .” The natural environment of the West Coast inspires Yahgulanaas , and a sense of place deeply informs his work .
More than a decade ago , Yahgulanaas invented Haida manga , which combines Haida iconography with a Japanese manga style to create a wholly original art form . War of the Blink , his newest book to employ this blend of indigenous and asian cultural references , retells an ancient Haida tale about the bravery required to choose peace instead of war . it ’ s a follow-up to his immensely popular Red : A Haida Manga , which draws upon another timeless Haida story , this one about a leader whose obsession for revenge brings his community to the brink of war .
When asked why he chose to incorporate elements of Japanese culture into his hybrid art form , Yahgulanaas responds with praise for the country . Over a century ago , when Canada wasn ’ t treating his indigenous ancestors well , those same people could travel to Japan and “ were treated like a whole human person .” He also wanted to acknowledge his mixed heritage , honouring his ancestors from both Haida gwaii and northern asia . He strives for “ ways to break through these identity barriers that we ’ ve constructed .” art is especially good at breaking down barriers , he says . “ art should be in service of all people , regardless of language , regardless of education , regardless of money .”
Yahgulanaas ’ s influences roam through different cultures and even different centuries . Japanese contemporary pop artist Takashi Murakami tops his list of favourites : “ He takes work centred in his ethnic identity and he kicks it out of the park ,” he says , adding , “ He makes it accessible . That ’ s exactly what i ’ m trying to do here .” Other picks include British sculptor anish Kapoor , for “ his sculpting and cleverness ,” and english Romantic landscape painter William Turner , for “ his amazing capture of atmosphere .” He also admires cartoonists Will eisner and Rand Holmes , indigenous artist Brian Jungen , and painter and printmaker Hokusai , of Japan ’ s edo period .
What ’ s next for Yahgulanaas ? The perpetually busy artist shows no signs of slowing down . He figures he has another 15 or 20 years to create art , and in that time he wants to take on bigger projects with bigger teams . “ i like working with people who are really good at what they do . it ’ s exciting ,” he says . and he needs new challenges : “ i need to create artwork that doesn ’ t thunder the same story over and over again .”
“ Art should be in service of all people , regardless of language , regardless of education , regardless of money ”
Rocky Mountaineer Magazine 2018 19