AGH Art Sales + Services is proud to be hosting Zaagigi | Growth, a showing of Cody Houle’s remarkable work that runs from October 2 to 26, 2025. Through vibrant, expressive paintings, Houle explores personal and cultural transformation, reclaiming identity, healing from intergenerational trauma, and deepening the connection with his Indigenous roots. His work reflects a journey of resilience and renewal, offering inspiration to youth and community. Zaagigi represents more than growth—it is the courageous beginning of something new, rooted in spirit, story, and the power of art.
Houle began painting less than a decade ago, after being inspired by the television sensation, Bob Ross.
“I was just so captivated watching how he could systematically build a landscape from a formula,” Houle recalls. “A lightbulb went off.”
Like following a cooking show, Houle immediately took up painting.
“I painted mountains, over an over again. I probably painted hundreds of them.”
As he continued painting at a prolific rate, he also started studying the works of historical artists whose processes he found fascinating: the scraping of Gerhard Richter, the frenzied drips of Jackson Pollock, the textured layers of Jean-Paul Riopelle, and the gestural marks of Franz Kline. But most notably, he found a resonance with the trans-figurative imagery of artist Norval Morriseau.
Houle is of French and Anishinaabek ancestry, and he grew up in North Bay. As a youth, he recalls seeing Morriseau’s work in the window of a local gallery and later being transfixed by the Ojibwe artist’s story.
Houle’s father was displaced from his culture and community in his early years by the Children’s Aid Society, after the traumatic murder of his grandmother. He lost his connection with his culture and community. Houle’s parents struggled with a lifetime of substance abuse, and Houle was raised in an unsafe environment. Without a strong cultural connection, Houle grew up confused and with a sense of shame about being Indigenous.
During his fledgling years of practicing, Houle would sell his painting on the streets – lining them up on the ground and selling them for $20 a piece. This immediate connection – between his paintings and other people – was his motivation to manifest a larger future for his paintings.
Nowadays, Cody works to free his soul, and to be a positive example for his daughter and Indigenous youth. Through art, he is transforming his relationships with his identity, culture, and family – including those who are no longer living, and those who were never able to tell their own stories.
The title Zaagigi is Anishinaabemowin for emerging growth – the part of growth that immediately proceeds sowing. For Cody Houle as an artist, Zaagigi | Growth perfectly encapsulates this.
Please join us for the ‘Cody Houle Artist Reception’ in AGH Art Sales + Services on Thursday, October 2, 2025 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. The artist will be attendance to discuss his work.
_______
This spotlight show is part of the AGH Art Sales + Services program, which supports the Gallery’s exhibitions and educational programming.
