Gallery in Toronto opens new exhibit featuring indigenous artists

TORONTO, ON – In a press release on September 5, Onsite Gallery at OCAD University announced that they are proud to present ᐊᕙᑖᓂᑦ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂᑦ ᓄᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᑦ / Among All These Tundras, featuring contemporary art by Indigenous artists from around the circumpolar world.

Together, their works politically and poetically express current Arctic concerns towards land, language, sovereignty and resurgence. The exhibition runs from September 18 to December 7, 2019, beginning with a free public reception on September 18 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Among All These Tundras, a title taken from the poem ‘My Home Is in My Heart’ by famed Sámi writer Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, is curated by Heather Igloliorte, University Research Chair in Indigenous Circumpolar Arts at Concordia University, Amy Dickson, emerging curator and doctoral student in the Art History program at Concordia University and Charissa von Harringa, a PhD Researcher in Art History at Concordia University.

As described by the curators, “artists from throughout the circumpolar north share kinship with each other and their ancestors, love for their homelands, and respect for the land and its inhabitants. Yet they also share histories of colonialism and experience its ongoing legacies and are united in their desire to protect northern ecologies, languages, peoples and knowledge from the nefarious effects of climate change, encroaching industry and competition.”

“We are delighted to present this important exhibition of Indigenous artists at Onsite Gallery,” said Francisco Alvarez, Executive & Artistic Director, OCAD U Galleries. “As a university that recognizes the importance of providing a learning environment that values Indigenous cultural knowledge and fosters inclusivity and diversity, Onsite Gallery is excited to feature the works of 12 circumpolar artists.”

Featuring sculpture, drawing, photography, fashion and video by local, national and international artists, the curators state that, “the works invite viewers to contemplate relationships between textual and embodied Indigenous knowledges, innovation and sustainability, humour and resilience, and our collective responsibility to northern life and land.”

The exhibition includes works by over 10 artists and was produced and circulated by: Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University, with patron sponsorship by: Birch Hill Equity Partners and supported by: Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage), Initiative for Indigenous Futures and Nexus Investments.

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