Co.Lab Gallery presents
CHRISTIAN CHAPMAN
RIDE THE LIGHTENING
Opening Friday, December 12, 2025, 7-10pm
Exhibition continues until Dec 28th, 2025.
Ride the Lightning brings together a new body of work by Anishinaabe artist Christian Chapman. Shaped by the long-standing storytelling traditions of his community and the place where he continues to live and work, Chapman excels once again with humour with a cutting critique of colonial systems.
Created in his studio on Fort William First Nation, often to the soundtrack of 90s records, these works build upon Chapman’s established Woodland Pop aesthetic while introducing expanded notions of painting, printmaking and AI interpretation of Anishinaabe proverbs.
Chapman’s practice draws on the histories, teachings, and everyday experiences that inform Anishinaabe life, considering them as active forces that move between past, present, and future. His imagery often returns to familiar motifs, including the recurring figure with a speech bubble, which he reworks as a way to reflect on communication and the shifting dynamics of Indigenous storytelling today. Ride the Lightning offers a concise look at a mid-career artist working with clarity and intention, using humour, directness, and narrative insight to keep stories in motion.
As an Anishinaabe artist, Christian Chapman finds inspiration in the rich cultural heritage and traditions of his community. Chapman explores themes of present-day Anishinaabe culture through a Woodland School of art lens. “I have great respect for Woodland images. It is a visual language that has deep local history and speaks directly to where I’m from”. Ride the Lightning blends traditional styles with contemporary techniques. The artwork seeks to bridge the gap between past and present, offering a fresh perspective on Indigenous art.
Christian Chapman (b. 1975) is an artist of Anishinaabe heritage from Fort William First Nation, Ontario. Storytelling is central to his practice, shaping his visual vocabulary across painting, drawing, and printmaking. His recent nomination for the Sobey Art Award 2025, Canada’s foremost contemporary art prize, affirms his national impact. His work is held in the National Archives of Canada, the Government of Ontario Art Collection, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, along with several private collections. He has been awarded through the Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Award (2017), the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts: Emerging Artist of the Year (2016), and recipient of the K. M. Hunter Artist Award, Ontario Arts Foundation (2016).
