Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy unveils new series of paintings at Halifax gallery

Acclaimed Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy unveils a new series of painting at the Prow Gallery in Halifax.

Acclaimed Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy unveiled a new series of paintings at The Prow Gallery in Halifax.

“It’s a collection of some of his older works all the way up to some of his newer works which he created in 2025,” said Kim Farmer, manager of The Prow Gallery. “The oldest piece in this collection is dated back to 2002 and there are some drawings on paper.”

Farmer says Syliboy uses a lot of traditional imagery in his paintings.

“He has collected a lot of these images from his culture. A lot of them are based on petroglyphs which were found in Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia. The petroglyphs were carved in stone by Alan’s ancestors thousands of years ago. So, he has used some of those symbols in his artwork.”

Syliboy also likes to use a lot of vibrant colours in his work, says Farmer.

“He is a very vibrant and cheerful person. So I think that comes out in the colours that he chooses,” she said.

“He also has a wide variety of subject matter that he uses, a lot of them are figures and animals. When you see the painting, you can usually recognize an animal that is based in Nova Scotia,” she added.

The exhibit is on at The Prow Gallery until Aug. 25.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Mike Lamb

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