Bruno Canadien is a member of the Deh Gah Got’ı́é Kǫ́ę́ First Nation, a Deh Cho Region member of the Dene Nation.

His work is primarily focused on addressing issues surrounding the intersection of First Nation/Tribal sovereignty, resource exploitation and environmental concerns. Through a language that strives to reflect his personal visual history, he uses collage, adornment, painting and drawing to present evidence of contemporary Indigenous presence and resistance throughout his work. His most recent work belies the concern aboriginal communities in western Canada and the U.S. have for our territories, including wildlife, in the face of aggressive oil and gas exploration and extraction. As a member of a northern First Nation (Deh Gah Got’ı́é Kǫ́ę́, Deh Cho Region, N.W.T.) and a resident of Alberta, this issue carries personal resonance for Bruno, especially in regards to the effects of the Athabasca Tarsands development, which is located within the MacKenzie/Peace watershed, upstream from his home community of Fort Providence, N.W.T.

After graduating from the Alberta College of Art’s Painting Department in 1993, he and his wife Amy settled in the Calgary area, where he enjoys spending much of his free time outdoors in the traditional territories of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina and Nakoda nations.