DAPHNE ODJIG “My paintings are a celebration of life. It’s my subconscious that decides the content and I’m happy to leave it like that. I am uncomfortable with words- my painting is more honest and valid as a statement. » Daphne Odjig is one of Canada's most famous Indigenous painters and printmakers. Born on Manitoulin Island, on the Wikwemikong reserve, she has a triple heritage: Odawa, Potawatomi and English. She received her artistic apprenticeship from her grandfather, Jonas Odjig, a tombstone sculptor, who taught her drawing and painting. Early on, she moved to British Columbia. Odjig's style, which has gone through several phases and undergone various mutations over the decades, nevertheless remains recognizable. His work, where traditional Indigenous imagery and style blends with Cubist and Surrealist influences, is characterized by undulating lines, sharp contours, overlapping shapes and an incomparable sense of color. Daphne Odjig has also addressed questions of colonization, the displacement of indigenous populations and the status of indigenous women and children, placing these political issues at the forefront of contemporary art practice and theory. In 2007 she was the recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.