Unfinished Business (previously titled 94 Calls), 2017. Glassine paper, sharpie. 60”w x approx 150’long (variable), 

As a descendant of colonists, I write the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action backwards with my non-dominant hand to learn of these injustices and increase awareness around decolonisation. Writing with my non-dominant hand symbolizes resistance to the forced assimilation practices imposed by colonists. Writing each word backwards challenges me to learn this Indigenous-written text in an unfamiliar way. My errors and corrections are in plain view, as I encourage others to learn a new perspective. Writing the text was particularly chilling in the sections on the abuses in the Residential School system.

Most descendants of colonists have erroneous or non-existent information on these crucially important topics that are still in practice today. I call on us to be curious and aware of our prejudices and oppressive actions toward others and learn new perspectives.

Dear Justin, 10” x 50’, postcards, plastic, thread, sharpie, 2017.

Exhibited alongside Unfinished Business, Dear Justin is an interactive response by viewers, reminding the Canadian Prime Minister (at the time) to fulfill his commitment to “fully implement the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission”.  Gallery visitors wrote an individual Call to Action of their choice on postcards and we mailed them en-masse at a de-installation party at the end of the exhibition. The goal was to invite viewers to become familiar with at least one call to action in the absence of reading the full report. 

Exhibited at:

No Citation Needed (juried) National Humanities Centre, Visual Arts Exchange, Raleigh, NC, 2019

Clouded Title, StreetRoad Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, 2019

Unmade (juried), Propellor Art Gallery, Toronto, ON, 2019

Art as Activism: Truth, Survivance and Resilience (juried) Guelph Museum, Guelph, ON, 2019

What Remains – in the spirit of the commons, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, BC, 2017

Tiny Gallery, BIG ISSUES, Parking Spot Projects, Vancouver, BC, 2017