Artist Statement - Painting Practice
My work mimics my personal style in a way that is somewhat autobiographical in terms of folks in my communities. I like the idea of queering ideas of self-presentation and regalia, the ways in which we present ourselves and the communities we are from. There are a lot of lived experience motivations to it. Theoretically, I’m capturing survivance and desire, countering damage centered narratives that are tied to Indigenous communities and the conspicuous consumption of queer Indigenized trauma.
I hope people leave with a sense of being seen with a sense of hope, and the ways in which futures can be built. It's really about resistance and denying commodification of trauma and violence. It's about transforming our relations and the things that we all as agents of colonialism and oppression (willingly and unwillingly) partake in, intervening at the level of governmentality. I’m trying to get the viewer to entangle themselves in the project of colonialism, through a queer lens that is focused on joy and pleasure. Through the lens of Pagentry and Flamboyance we see the joy/strength that is drawn from bold Queer Indigenous pride.
Paintings made with the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council.
