BONNIE DEVINE
Leading voice in contemporary Indigenous art and education
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OCAD University Associate Professor Emerit Bonnie Devine is an Anishinaabe visual artist, scholar and a leading voice in contemporary Indigenous art. A member of the Genaabaajing Anishinaabek (Serpent River First Nation) on the north shore of Lake Huron, her internationally acclaimed work emerges from the storytelling and object-making traditions that are at the root of Anishinaabe culture.
Born in Toronto, Devine studied sculpture and installation at the Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCAD University), graduating in 1997. She returned to OCAD U as a full-time faculty member in 2008, where she founded the Indigenous Visual Culture program, creating one of Canada's first post-secondary programs dedicated to Indigenous art, culture and knowledge. The program has played a transformative role in expanding Indigenous representation, mentorship and scholarship in post-secondary arts education.
Devine's work examines the relationships between people, land and memory. Working across a range of media, she combines traditional materials with contemporary approaches to address issues including environmental stewardship, colonialism and cultural resilience.
Her work has been exhibited across North America, South America and Europe. She was selected to participate in the prestigious 2026 Venice Biennale and 2026 Toronto Biennale. Her curatorial practice has included organizing a landmark retrospective of Daphne Odjig that toured from 2005 to 2011. 2
Devine's contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2021 and OCAD U’s Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity in 2019.
Learn more about Bonnie Devine.
Image credit: Bonnie Devine, Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele Belgium, 2024. Oil on canvas, 182.9 x 121.9 cm. Courtesy of the artist.