BIO

I am L’nu (Mi’kmaq nation), from Stephenville Crossing, Newfoundland (Ktaqmkuk). Having a methodology that is deeply guided by the land of my ancestors, my ongoing work possesses qualities of familiarity that can serve as a connection for a wide range of audiences spanning cultures and generations. My practice utilizes sculpture, painting, video, immersive installations, and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting, familial histories and challenge colonial perceptions of Indigenous histories, stereotypes and presence with a focus on exploring Mi’kmaq and Beothuk visual culture of Ktaqmkuk.

My interdisciplinary practice has supported me to imagine and explore art in many forms. I often find myself working in a variety of materials for a single artwork, creating uncommon combinations to create a new narrative or way to explore an old story. This adaptation of materials in art making continues the practice of my ancestors whereby we incorporate new media to express histories, worldviews, and lived experience. All aspects of my practice aim to create a welcoming environment where a dialogue between the viewer and the work can form. Each work I create allows me to further explore how I position myself within my culture and community, by analyzing Mi’kmaq visual language through the cultural connections to ancestral objects.

In the past 10 years I have participated in over 100 group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. Most notably I have been long listed for the 2015 and 2016 Sobey Art Award, was shortlisted for the 2018 Awards and was a long list winner in 2020. I am partnered with IOTA Studio Gallery, and have completed large-scale public art commissions including Zatzman Sportsplex (Dartmouth, NS), OCAD University (Toronto, ON), and Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Fredericton, NB). My 100-foot installation “Tepkik,” highlighted in the National Art Gallery of Canada for the 2019 exhibition “Àbadakone,” was the 2020 winner of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award.

My ongoing research and creation around visiting, inter-generational sharing, and familiarity have and continue to push my practice in new and exciting directions. I am dedicated to my research as it relates to decolonial methodologies and through this work I continue to further my connection to my home territory and its dynamic living visual culture by engaging with and for community in Mi’kma’ki.