Yuxweluptun painting up for auction
A painting by Indigenous artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun in honour of Canada’s National Day for Truth & Reconciliation will go up for auction this month to draw attention to the intergenerational effects of the residential school system.
Titled “Indian Residential School, Leaving the Shallow Graves and Going Home,” the piece was commissioned by Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel to mark what is also known as Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30.
Established in 2013, the day is meant to honour survivor Phyllis Webstad, whose new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at residential school.
All proceeds from the sale of the painting will be donated to
the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
In creating his new work, Yuxweluptun said in a news release that his goal was to “depict children walking back home in a spirit form, thereby completing a spiritual journey and allowing closure for their memories.”
The Vancouver-based artist, who is the son of residential school survivors and a survivor himself, added, “This is a history painting, a recording of how Natives have been treated and where we are at now. It’s a voice for those who had been forgotten, and their stories should be told in a resounding way.”
The painting will be offered by Heffel Fine Art Auction House online until June 22.
Before the auction closes, the painting will go on display for the public at the Heffel Gallery’s Toronto and Vancouver locations.