KC Adams Dana Claxton Stephen Foster Skawennati Tricia Fragnito Archer Pechawis Ahasiw Maskegon-Iskwew Commissaire : Steve Loft Language of Intercession
OBORO
Vernissage on Saturday, February 19, at 5 pm
Organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Hamilton presented at OBORO, Dazibao and articule
Conference by Steve Loft on February 19, at 3 pm
Language of Intercession presents a group exhibition of Aboriginal artists working within video, digital manipulation, web based and new media installation art. The artists use a range of technological and digital mediums to construct sites of meaning and perception. Although their work is not thematically linked by a specific content, these artists typify the rigorous examination and experimentation in technologybased mediums by Native artists.
This is not a dialogue about the formation of some pan-Indian identity politics, but rather the expression of an Indigenous aesthetic and where it resides in a media-saturated society. Each artist has a specific and discrete practice; however, their works also contemporise an Indigenous aesthetic.
The term “Language of Intercession,” coined by Victor Masayesva, refers to this idea. In his essay Indigenous Experimentalism, Masayesva writes, “… the Indigenous aesthetic, like each tribal language, is not a profane practice, a basic human protocol, or merely a polite form of etiquette and transaction, but rather, it is the way in which we are heard and commune with the Ancients.” For these artists, the same could be said about the present and the past.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton gratefully acknowledges the support of the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage, The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Hamilton.
Further readings:
OBORO