Awakening Memory

Open Space presents Awakening Memory
with artists Sonny Assu, lessLIE, and Marianne Nicolson.
Curated by France Trépanier.
March 24 - April 29, 2017. Opening: Friday, March 24, 2017, 7:30 pm

France Trépanier is artist and curator of Kanien'kehá:ka and French ancestry, currently Aboriginal Curator at Open Space. Awakening Memory is sponsored by the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) and Media Net.

In her travels across Canada as a researcher, writer and educator, Trépanier has accessed many museum collections.
She often questions the divergent world views of European and Indigenous peoples regarding the role and importance of art.
Collecting artworks to classify and exhibit has no history in Aboriginal art practice. Traditional uses were practical, ceremonial and sacred, and objects had a life cycle.

France tells the story of visiting the water drum of an Ojibwe medicine man in the Manitoba Museum. “My visit with this sacred drum was a moving and powerful experience,” she recalls. “I felt the spirit of that drum. It was a rare and privileged encounter.”

This experience led to a belief that objects can embody life spirit. The curator conceived Awakening Memory as a bridge between collected cultural items and the burgeoning arena of contemporary art practices. This fertile idea was presented to three artists resulting in new ideas and art practices. Each artist has interpreted Awakening Memory within their own sphere of current interests. “Many layers, intersections and insights resulted,” she says, “which shows the richly-textured subject matter and nature of community.”

Marianne Nicolson (‘Tayagila’ogwa) is an artist of Scottish and Dzawada̱’enux̱w First Nations descent. The Dzwada̱’enux̱w (People-Of-The-Eulachon-Country) are a member tribe of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast. She holds a BFA from Emily Carr and a PHD in Linguistics and Anthropology from the University of Victoria.

I visited Marianne Nicolson in her Victoria studio ten days before the opening of Awakening Memory. Just returned from a speaking engagement in Vancouver, she is focusing on the task at hand. The task is monumental as Nicolson is painting a 5 x 16 foot mural for the show. The first of four panels is completed, showing a dramatic formline painting on a charcoal ground. White and shiny gold buttons are recessed into the surface making reference to first contact and trade items.

Nicolson has recently returned to painting after reconciling her role in the high-pressure world of commercial art. “I grew reluctant to treat my artwork as a salable commodity,” she says. For the same reason, the artist declines photographs. “This is not about me,” she says, “it’s about my community, driven by a mandate for social justice and revitalization.”

Turbulent Waters (Detail) Acrylic on Canvas, 5 x 4 ft, 2017.

Cliff Painting, Kingcomb Inlet, 38 x 28 ft, 1998.

Nicolson's community is located in the Kingcome Watershed and Broughton Archipelago. 200 years after contact, a culture that flourished for 1000’s of years is seeing their traditional lands altered by clear-cutting, fish farming and pollution. The artist would like an “awakening” to the injustice of being pushed on to .02% of the land base, making holistic living impossible. Nicolson respects the writings of activist Arthur Manuel (1951-2017) and his advice to “be a good ancestor” by advocating sustainability. In her mural painting, (above left) symbolic animals representing some of the Group of Seven (G7) Nations, are swimming in the waters. These suggest our impending global catastrophe brought on by resource greed, environmental degradation and climate change. “I believe Indigenous world views can benefit all people,” she says. “especially our deeply-felt connection to community and land.”

Cliff Painting by Marianne Nicolson under construction in 1998.

To accompany the mural, a video of her homelands is projected on the opposite wall. The serene landscape shots are interspersed with close-ups of the natural surroundings: a shell midden in shallow water, a pictogram, and other markings of ancestral occupation. “The history of the land points to our right to exist on these territories,” she says. The video includes the remarkable 28 x 38 foot pictograph Nicolson painted on a vertical rock face in Kingcome Inlet in 1998. The copper shape with red formline drawing shines like a beacon on the ochre cliff face, flashing out a reminder of her people’s ongoing vitality.

During the visit to the RBCM in January 2017, Nicolson held a mask belonging to a family in her community. She felt uncomfortable handling the collected item because it carries rights and privileges. “A great sadness washes over me at times like this,” she says. “I realize these objects should be part of our active culture, not locked away in boxes.”

Sonny Assu is a Ligwilda’xw Kwakwaka’wakw contemporary artist. He graduated from Emily Carr University (2002) and was the recipient of their distinguished alumni award in 2006. Since graduating Assu has participated in many exhibitions, garnering much acclaim. His contemporary practice involves “interventions” that add Indigenous dialogue to historical artifacts.

For the Awakening Memory show, Assu completed a series of nine archival pigment prints from digital images, each 31 x 26 inches. The striking contemporary designs are enhanced with three dimensional forms and vibrant colours. The historical artifacts are marine charts owned by this grandfather, who was a fisherman. After scanning the maps at high resolution, the artist could see many details including boundaries of the reserves. In Paradise Syndrome #38, (below left) these reserves are carved out of a Copper shape, conveying the loss of power and privilege.

A Copper is a shield-shaped symbol made out of beaten copper, often inscribed or painted with family crests. Coppers are used in ceremonies and potlatches to convey chiefly status, spiritual lineage, family rights and privileges. In 2009, the artist became fascinated by traditional uses of the copper medium. Since that time he has used copper in many artworks. His artwork “The Value of What Goes on Top” (below right) is copper sheeting on maple plinths of various heights. “Both maple and copper are highly prized elements in ceremonial objects,” he says. The plinths make reference to the European habit of placing their wealth on display to convey status. Assu notes this contrasts with the Potlatch tradition of gifting and bartering.

Copper Shield with Sisiutl design.

The Value of What Goes on Top, by Sonny Assu. Maple and copper sheeting.

Sonny Assu was raised in Vancouver outside of traditional culture. At age eight he learned about his Kwakwaka’wakw roots. Now he lives in Campbell River in his grandmother’s home, with his wife and five-year-old daughter, surrounded by extended family. For the artist, Awakening Memory has involved learning about his own lineage, which comes from both Cape Mudge and Campbell River families. He praises Marianne Nicolson’s extensive knowledge about Kwakwaka’wakw communities along the coast. “She has taught me a great deal about my own ancestry,” he says. Assu admires both lessLIE and Marianne as role models. “They are immersed in their cultures,” he says, “and working hard to tell their stories and right the wrongs.”

Leslie Robert Sam is a Coast Salish artist from the Cowichan tribes. lessLIE is his decolonized name, and he brings the same pointed wit to his bold serigraph prints. lessLIE first studied Coast Salish art in 1995, while working on his BA in First Nations Studies at Malaspina. Since then, the artist has built a successful career and exhibited widely. He’s in demand as a guest curator and speaker.

For Awakening Memory, the artist explored his home territory around Duncan with the curator. Seeking a meaningful cultural connection, they climbed up Comiaken Hill to the stone Butter Church. (below left) The church was built in 1870 by a Catholic priest and Indigenous workers. After ten years, the church was abandoned and fell into disrepair. On top of the hill, lessLIE surveyed the vista, including Cowichan Bay, Mt Tzouhalem and the green fertile valley. “It reminded me of Coast Salish cosmology,” he says “the thunder bird and killer whale”. He recalled tales from Mt Tzouhalem, named after a powerful Salish Chief. For lessLIE, the abandoned church was a reminder of missionaries and residential schools. He wondered how he could repatriate the building in some way?

Butter Church, Duncan. Photo: Kirk Schwartz @ Media Net.

Sandblasted Thunderbird by lessLIE. Photo: Todd Robinson@ Cascadia Studios

The artist decided to create his first sandblasted glasswork to fill the circular window above the Church’s entrance. lessLIE’s thunderbird image was sandblasted on circular glass at Cascadia Studios. The sandblasted glass sits in a facade of the Butter Church at Open Space. Light projected through the window illuminates the opposite wall of the gallery. On either side of the doorway of the facade hang two 4 x 4 foot paintings: one with a thunderbird and salmon, the other with two salmon. This imagery was recreated from spindle whorls lessLIE saw at the RBCM. Like Nicolson, he experienced mixed emotions during his museum visit. He felt honoured to view the ancestral works, but uneasy about wearing a name tag to visit his own culture. “I felt the loss and powerlessness of our people,” he said, “forced to view their heritage in an institution instead of live it.”
At 43, lessLIE is the proud father of a two-year-old girl. It’s been a big change for the long-time bachelor, who now has extra demands on his work schedule. “It was the right time for this,” he says, “I planned it out and waited until my career was established. My family adds a lot to my life.”

lessLIE at RBCM with spindle whorls, 2017. Photo: Kirk Schwartz

Detail: lessLIE painting in progress for Awakening Memory.

On March 23, 2017 from 5-7pm the Royal BC Museum hosted a Happy Hour. Sonny Assu, lessLIE, and Marianne Nicolson joined curator France Trépanier in the First Peoples Gallery. Using historical artifacts from the collection as reference points, they engaged in conversation with guests. Many meaningful thoughts and stories were shared.

Quote from "Understanding Aboriginal Art in Canada Today" by France Trépanier and Chris Creighton-Kelly added to historical photo.

Marianne Nicolson explains sustainability and pollution issues in her ancestral village.

Sonny Assu talks about Eulachon Oil collected in a Listerine bottle. Bentwood boxes and crumpled Copper Shield in foreground.

Curator France Trépanier completing quote from “Understanding Aboriginal Art in Canada Today”.

Open Space is located at 510 Fort Street, 2nd floor. Hours: Noon–5:00 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday Phone 250.383.883

The Opening event hosted by Open Space on March 24 was a great success. Many people gathered to watch the Cowichan Tzinquaw Dancers. The three artists and curator shared comments with guests. It was an exciting evening.

Curator France Trépanier gives opening remarks.

Web Design, Content and Selected Photos by Kate Cino
Kate previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine.
She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria.