OTTAWA, ON.- Carl Beam was a vital force in contemporary art in Canada. At the vanguard of a new and assertive First Nations art discourse, his art builds intellectual and philosophical bridges between cultures. His powerful works explore the space between Indigenous and other cultural views of our collective “place” within the universe/cosmos. Personal, even self-referential, his work also shows his awareness of communal and global concerns. Until January 16, 2011, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) presents Carl Beam, an exhibition bringing together fifty of the most outstanding works of this contemporary Canadian artist of Anishinaabe descent who passed away in 2005, including five pieces acquired this year by the Gallery. Covering his complete career from the late 70s to 2004, the exhibition sheds light on his investigations into the metaphysical aspects of Western and Indigenous cultures, while powerfully illus