Eruoma Awashish
First Nations artist from Quebec (born 1980)
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Eruoma Awashish (born 1980) is an Atikamekw visual artist from Quebec.
Eruoma Awashish | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 45–46) Opitciwan, Quebec, Canada |
| Citizenship | Atikamekw of Opitciwan and Canada |
| Alma mater | Université du Québec à Chicoutimi |
Early life and education
Awashish was born to a Quebecois mother and Atikamekw father.[1] She was born and grew up in Opitciwan, a small community near the Gouin Reservoir in northern Quebec.[1][2]
Awashish attended the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, where she earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary art.[3]
Career
Awashish had her first solo exhibition, entitled Reliques et passages, in 2015 at the Canadian Guild of Crafts in Montreal.[1] She also began printing some of her art on t-shirts, as a way to make her art both more accessible to her community and as a way to make a living.[1] The exhibition was revived in Lachine in 2023.[4]
In 2020, Awashish was commissioned to paint a mural at the Musée d’art de Joliette in honor of Joyce Echaquan and her family.[5][6] Awashish has also painted a portrait of Echaquan, which has been used in relation with demands to reform Quebec's healthcare system to better care for indigenous patients.[6]
In her March 2024 exhibition, Kakike Ickote – Feu éternel, Awashish explored the impact of Catholicism on First Nations communities, reappropriating Catholic iconography and symbols for a First Nations context.[7]
In 2025, Awashish became the first First Nations artist to be a finalist for the MNBAQ Contemporary Art Award.[8]
Public art
From June to October 2023, Awashish was included in the public art exhibition PASSAGES INSOLITES in Quebec.[9]
From January to March 2025, Les Fabuloscopes, a piece by Awashish and La Camaraderie, was installed as part of Lumino, a series of outdoor art exhibits in Montreal.[10]
Awashish is one of several Atikamekw artists who are creating artwork for a new federal building in Shawinigan.[11]
Personal life
Awashish is based out of Pekuakami (Lac-Saint-Jean) as of 2025.[2] She has one daughter.[2]
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
- Reliques et passages (2015, Canadian Guild of Crafts)[1]
- Montreal Fine Arts Museum (late 2017-early 2018)[3]
- Kakike Ickote – Feu éternel (March 2024, Galerie d'art du Parc, Trois-Rivières)[7]
Group exhibitions
- Of Tobacco and Sweetgrass: Where Our Dreams Are (2019, Musée d’art de Joliette)[12]
- "Nimisak otci / Pour mes sœurs" in MNBAQ Contemporary Art Award exhibition (February-April 2025, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec)[2][13]