Benjamin Chee Chee

Benjamin Chee Chee was a Canadian artist of Ojibwe descent born Kenneth Thomas Chee Chee in Temagami, Ontario. His father died when he was two months old, and he was separated from his mother during childhood, spending years searching for her before their eventual reunion. This difficult early life included time in foster care and reform institutions, experiences that marked his personal development.

Chee Chee moved to Montreal in 1965, where he developed his artistic practice while working various jobs. He was largely self-taught as an artist and drew inspiration from the success of Norval Morrisseau, founder of the Woodland School of Art. In 1973, he relocated to Ottawa and held his first exhibition at the University of Ottawa that same year. His work gained recognition quickly as part of the second generation of Woodland School painters.

Chee Chee developed a distinctive minimalist style characterized by clear, graceful lines and limited color palettes, typically depicting birds and animals in motion. His paintings often featured geese and other wildlife rendered in simple forms against neutral backgrounds, using colors sparingly for maximum effect. Unlike many of his contemporaries in the Woodland School, he rejected symbolic interpretations of his work, describing the animals in his paintings as "creatures of the present" rather than spiritual or mythological symbols.

The artist insisted on being identified specifically as an Ojibway artist rather than being categorized under the broader term "Indian artist." His approach to Indigenous art was more aligned with modern abstract art than traditional narrative styles, setting him apart from other Woodland School artists who followed Morrisseau's mythological approach. Chee Chee's simplified forms translated well to printmaking, and he produced limited edition silkscreens based on his original acrylic paintings.

After achieving success and reuniting with his mother, Chee Chee died by suicide in an Ottawa jail on March 11, 1977, at age 32. His death occurred just as his career was gaining national prominence, leaving behind a relatively small but influential body of work. He was buried in Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa, and his work has been exhibited posthumously throughout Canada, including major retrospectives at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in 1983 and 1991.