Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas — An Artist in the Spaces Between

In this conversation, I speak with Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, a contemporary artist, author, and political activist of Haida and Nordic ancestry. Born in 1954 and raised in Delkatla on Haida Gwaii, he is a descendant of the celebrated Haida artists Isabella and Charles Edenshaw. His artistic practice encompasses drawing, painting, sculpture, graphic literature, monumental murals, and public installations. His work is held in international collections, including the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, and the Musée du quai Branly in Paris. Rather than introducing Michael myself, I invited him to tell his own story. He describes his family history, his early artistic influences, and the approximately two decades he spent working with the Council of the Haida Nation during a period of cultural resurgence and political resistance. He reflects on his encounters with Cantonese brush painting and the history of Indigenous seal hunters who found…

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