ᐃᔨ - Eyes - Shirley Moorhouse

“My artwork speaks from my lived experience as it connects outwards to my family, community, all living creatures, the Earth, and the Universe.”

 – Shirley Moorhouse

This exhibition showcases 30 years of Shirley Moorhouse’s innovative art practice, from her earliest pieces to new and recently restored artworks. Moorhouse is renowned for her distinctive wall hangings, which incorporate embroidery, beading, and smoke-tanned caribou hide, along with unconventional materials and found objects. Her vibrant imagery delves into complex themes, including environmental stewardship, resource extraction, geopolitics, spirituality, and cultural continuity. Through her work, Moorhouse also extends the invitation “to reflect, to dream, and to celebrate the beauty and mysteries of life.”

About the artist:

Shirley Moorhouse (b. Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Nunatsiavut; 1955 -) is a highly respected member of the national arts community. Her work has been featured in exhibitions such as the 2023 Bonavista Biennale (Bonavista Peninsula, NL), INUA: Inuit Nunangat Ungammmuaktut Atautikkut (Inuit Moving Forward Together), (Qaumajuq/Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2020); and SakKijâjuk: Art and Craft from Nunatsiavut (2017), a nationally traveling exhibition that originated at The Rooms. Moorhouse’s work is held in public collections such as The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME); Indigenous Art Collection, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (Gatineau, QC); Inuit Tapirit Kanatami (ITK) (Ottawa, ON); the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Collection; and Sir Wilfred Grenfell Art Collection (Corner Brook, NL).

About the curator:

Rose Bouthillier is a contemporary art curator and writer based in Maberly, on the Bonavista Peninsula, NL. She joined the Bonavista Biennale as Artistic Director in April 2022. Previously, she served as Curator (Exhibitions) at Remai Modern and as Associate Curator and Publications Manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland.

Image: Shirley Moorhouse, Dancing to the Moon (detail), 2020, black wool stroud, smoke tanned caribou hide various materials, 109.2 x 154.9 cm. Courtesy of the artist.