Shining a Light on Métis Culture

×

Expand

"Li Salay," 2018, installation view at the Art Gallery of Alberta (photo by Charles Cousins)

I was a little on edge on my way to the Art Gallery of Alberta to see Li Salay, Michif for “the sun,” an exhibition billed as the first major survey of Métis art at a large public institution. Some recent shows at the Edmonton gallery have suffered from weak craftsmanship, perplexing artist statements and mind-boggling curatorial panels. But Li Salay, on view until Sept. 9, is one of the most moving shows I’ve seen in years. Its strength doesn’t rest on startling scale or innovative media, but on lived stories of loss, resilience and cultural survival.

Curators Amy Malbeuf, a visual artist from Rich Lake, an unincorporated community in northeastern Alberta, and Jessie Ray Short, a Calgary-based filmmaker and curator, travelled across Canada, visiting the studios of more than 40 artists before choosing 13 for this show. Their quest was a labour of love propelled by the poor visibility and scarce documentation of Métis art. Li Salay includes diverse work by artists such as Lori Blondeau, Rosalie Favell, Sherry Farrell Racette, Les Ramsay and Tim Moore, yet there are deep underlying connections.

A single glance around the show reveals the patient, meticulous craftsmanship characteristic of Métis culture. It’s a tradition that can signify more than mere decoration. For example, Métis men wore clothing richly ornamented by their wives as a form of prayer that led them into battle.

×

Expand

Charles Cousins

Amanda Strong, "Skull Mountain," 2016

resin and mixed media, installation view (courtesy of Spotted Fawn Productions) and "Four Faces of the Moon," 2016, video (courtesy of the Winnipeg Film Group; photo by Charles Cousins)

The expressive significance of such labour emanates from Vancouver-based Amanda Strong’s digital video, Four Faces of the Moon. In this intimate look at colonial land policies and the buffalo slaughter, she explores the impact of historical events on her family using stop-motion animation, a technique that requires some eight hours of work for every second of video. The sets are artworks in themselves: Skull Mountain, displayed in the show, features a three-foot-high mound of 1,000 buffalo skulls, each made painstakingly by hand.

×

Expand

Audie Murray, "Pair of Socks," 2017

cotton socks and glass beads (Collection of François Dell’Aniello, photo by Charles Cousins)

Such laborious craftsmanship is not an end in itself, but a skillful means to capture the viewer’s attention, gently leading the way to challenging insights. For instance, Audie Murray, a multidisciplinary artist from Saskatchewan, created a work of breathtaking simplicity with content that could rival a doctoral thesis. Her Pair of Socks are actual socks that she used to wear rendered non-functional by richly beaded soles. Metaphors abound. Along with the linguistic associations of “sole” and “soul” and the idea of footsteps filtered through Métis culture, the piece also suggests both the fragility of heritage – beads that scatter if walked upon – and the transformation of everyday objects into art.

×

1 of 2

Expand

Sheri Nault, "Entangled Bodies 4,", 2017

tree bark, beeswax, canvas and metal fixings, detail of installation (courtesy of the artist, photo by Charles Cousins)

×

2 of 2

Expand

Sheri Nault, "Entangled Bodies 3," 2017

log, wax and human hair, installation view (courtesy of the artist, photo by Charles Cousins)

Prev

Next

Remarkably, most works in the show convey a wealth of poetic associations. For instance, mixed-media sculptures by Sheri Nault were prompted by the artist’s recent move to Toronto and the need to adapt to a new natural environment. Entangled Bodies features trees and cast-wax body parts: hands push the bark open like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon and human hair hangs from the roots of a suspended tree, reaching toward the ground in a vain search for sustenance and connection.

×

Expand

Katherine Boyer, "Rug," 2016

found fabric, string, yarn and seed beads (Collection of the artist, image courtesy of the artist)

This, in sum, is a show of visual poetry that explores personal journeys against the backdrop of tragic historical events. The artists speak with poignant honesty. They have something to say, and say it with clarity. In the end, Li Salay strikes an extraordinary balance: it is gentle but it displays the emotional courage woven through Métis history. ■

Li Salay is on view at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton from May 25 to Sept. 9, 2018.

×

Expand

Dayna Danger, "Bebeschwendaam," 2017

video (video still courtesy of the artist and PDA Projects, Ottawa)

Artists in the show:

Lori Blondeau, Katherine Boyer, Dayna Danger, Rosalie Favell, Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, Casey Koyczan, Tim Moore, Audie Murray, Sheri Nault, Sherry Farrell Racette, Les Ramsay, Jewel Shaw and Amanda Strong