Lay of the Land
Logan MacDonald started looking at structures and signage set up by Indigenous communities to assert property rights. His work grew into a larger project about identity and cultural revival.
Logan MacDonald, “Superimposition,” 2017, photography (image courtesy of the artist)
The process of creating art often leads to a larger project than the initial idea or plan. As Logan MacDonald travelled through Canada between 2015 and 2017, he began the works that would become The Lay of the Land as an exploration of barriers, borders and conditions set onto the land. As he continued, it became clear the work was becoming a critical part of how he understands land rights as well as his culture and artistic practice.
Not all the stories MacDonald experienced, heard and saw are told in the works. He honours the sacredness of his journey through an absence of bodies. Land, and how we understand it both historically and physically, becomes the focus. Nor is it easy to navigate through the work at Winnipeg’s aceartinc, where the show is on view until May 4. You have to physically shift your body around the pieces in order to look at them. Large gridded photos attached to wooden pillars grounded in cement blocks span sections of the space. The photos hint at a physical presence through hands, arms and shadows.
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Logan MacDonald, “The Lay of the Land,” 2018
installation view of exhibition at aceartinc. (image courtesy of the artist)
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Logan MacDonald, “The Lay of the Land,” 2018
installation view of exhibition at aceartinc. (image courtesy of the artist)
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Logan MacDonald, “The Lay of the Land,” 2018
installation view of exhibition at aceartinc. (image courtesy of the artist)
MacDonald, a Mi'kmaq from Newfoundland now based in Toronto, wants us to question how land is sliced up and how attempts to reassemble it are nowhere near the original state. Shadows of gridded tape peek through a photo of logs that point toward a blue sky. A long uneven swathe of fabric bearing an image of the border where the 1990 Oka Crisis occurred sits tensely near the back of the gallery. Each photo engages viewers in a conversation about its content and presentation.
MacDonald’s work is honest and authentic, remaining open and vulnerable to unknown and difficult histories. The show’s commentary on the telling and retelling of history confronts viewers as documents and artifacts placed around the gallery tell a history of the land beyond the images. The experience MacDonald gives viewers is holistic and personal. We experience the land and his journey through his eyes.
Histories are re-emerging after years of silence and loss, and the work illustrates this deeply personal investigation. In a statement in the photo book that accompanies the show, MacDonald asks: “What does it mean for a person to have Indigenous heritage, but have no access to that specific culture?” With Canada at a critical juncture of cultural reconciliation and healing, works like these become another layer in a densely woven tapestry of Indigenous understanding. ■
The Lay of the Land is on view from March 29 to May 4, 2018 at aceartinc.
aceartinc.
206 Princess Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1L4
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