John Paskievich

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John Paskievich, “Main Street and Redwood Avenue,” from the series North End, Winnipeg, circa 1985

(collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, courtesy of U of M Press)

My husband and I put a stack of photography books on the nightstand of our guest room whenever we have out-of-town visitors. We always include books by Winnipeg photographer John Paskievich, who has long been fascinated by what I think is the most “Winnipeg” neighbourhood – the North End. We want our guests to see the often-overlooked beauty in our city. His images do just that. 

For the next several months, Winnipeg and its visitors are in for a special treat – 50 of Paskievich’s black-and-white images, some dating as far back as the 1970s, are on view at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The show, titled The North End, offers both nostalgia and honesty in its intimate glimpse of life in the working-class neighbourhood. Paskievich’s lens knows no borders. 

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John Paskievich, “Main Street (Thunderbird House),” circa 2010

(collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, courtesy of U of M Press)

The North End, originally populated by immigrants from Eastern Europe and now home to the largest urban Indigenous population in Canada, has a strong sense of community and a vibrant culture. 

Here, the everyday business of strangers is a captivating subject for photography. Paskievich shows people of all ages and origins moving about their lives, but also records visual reminders of the neighbourhood’s core values.

A boy dressed in a Greek god Halloween costume is caught mid-stride on an empty street. People stare out from their perches beside hotels and at diner tables. A parade glides past a landmark roof sign – “Welcome to the North End. People Before Profit” – that greets people as they cross the city’s main railway lines north of downtown. 

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John Paskievich, “Main Street and Sutherland Avenue,” circa 1976

(collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, courtesy of U of M Press)

Images of labour are woven through the exhibition, which runs until Nov. 3 and is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. The six-week strike for higher wages had deep roots in the North End, where a strong work ethic and collective values reigned. 

Paskievich, a Ukrainian Canada who was born in an Austrian camp for displaced persons after the Second World War, grew up in the neighbourhood. He collaborated with curator Andrew Kear to select photos from his books, The North End: Photographs by John Paskievich and The North End Revisited, both published by the University of Manitoba Press.

In one image, a large swath of fabric drapes and masks the person carrying it down the street. In another, a woman in a psychedelic flowered pantsuit leans against a tree with a child lying on the sidewalk behind her. Paskievich shows us the texture of such textiles literally, but they also carry figurative weight in the storefronts, street scenes and domestic interiors he documents.

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John Paskievich, “Untitled,” from the series North End, Winnipeg, 1976

silver print on paper, silver halide, 12” x 8” (collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery)

Many photographs are titled with the names of the intersections where they were shot. This marking of crossroads feels like a metaphor for holding cultural values amidst changing times.

One strength of Paskievich’s work is its ability to capture different eras with an air of timelessness. His keen eye reveals the passage of decades through moments of beauty and power and honours the heart of Winnipeg with love and pride. ■

John Paskievich: The North End is on view at the Winnipeg Art Gallery from June 29 to Nov. 3, 2019.

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