Eruoma Awashish


Eruoma Awashish is an Atikamekw visual artist from Quebec.

Early life and education

Awashish was born to a Quebecois mother and Atikamekw father. She was born and grew up in Opitciwan, a small community near the Gouin Reservoir in northern Quebec.
Awashish attended the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, where she earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary art.

Career

Awashish had her first solo exhibition, entitled Reliques et passages, in 2015 at the Canadian Guild of Crafts in Montreal. 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. The exhibition was revived in Lachine in 2023.
In 2020, Awashish was commissioned to paint a mural at the Musée d’art de Joliette in honor of Joyce Echaquan and her family. 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.
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.
In 2025, Awashish became the first First Nations artist to be a finalist for the MNBAQ Contemporary Art Award.

Public art

From June to October 2023, Awashish was included in the public art exhibition PASSAGES INSOLITES in Quebec.
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.
Awashish is one of several Atikamekw artists who are creating artwork for a new federal building in Shawinigan.

Personal life

Awashish is based out of Pekuakami as of 2025. She has one daughter.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

  • Reliques et passages
  • Montreal Fine Arts Museum
  • ''Kakike Ickote – Feu éternel''

    Group exhibitions

  • Of Tobacco and Sweetgrass: Where Our Dreams Are
  • "Nimisak otci / Pour mes sœurs" in MNBAQ Contemporary Art Award exhibition

    Awards

  • 2025 MNBAQ Contemporary Art Award, for ''Kiwew/Elle entre chez elle''