Braxton Garneau

Braxton Garneau is a visual artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Canada). Working in painting, sculpture, printmaking and installation, Garneau’s practice is rooted in costuming, transformation, and material honesty. Combining visual influences from classical European portraiture and Afro-Caribbean culture with harvested and hand-processed materials, he creates portraits, shrines, and corporeal forms that explore the sociocultural history of his Caribbean heritage. The materials used – raffia, sugarcane pulp, cowrie shells, asphalt –share inextricable colonial histories and cultural ties to those who’ve spent generations in close proximity to them.

He holds a BFA from the University of Alberta and has had solo exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton (2023), GAVLAK, Los Angeles (2023) and Stride Gallery, Calgary (2021). His work was featured in the retrospective exhibition Black Every Day at the Art Gallery of Alberta (2021) and It’s About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900 – 1970 and Now at Mitchell Art Gallery, Edmonton (2020). In 2023, he was a finalist for the Salt Spring National Art Prize and awarded the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award. In September 2024, he will have a solo exhibition at Efraín López, New York, NY.

Braxton Garneau has a solid base from which to work, he is exceptionally skilled artistically and is an important and respected member of the community. He is well poised to make the next step in his career and this award will certainly position him to be able to concentrate on a dedicated studio practice and work to make inroads into other centres across North America.

Lindsey Sharman, Curator, Art Gallery of Alberta