Bryce Singer, Into Oblivion, ink, graphite and acrylic on paper, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

05.17.2019 | 06.23.2019
OF SURROUNDINGS | ROY CAUSSY, SETH CARDINAL DODGINGHORSE, HALI HEAVY SHIELD, TYLER MUZZIN, BRYCE SINGER

Of Surroundings features a selection of artists working within the current landscapes and traditional territory of Southern Alberta: Treaty 7 Territory of the Blackfoot, Stoney Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina, a meeting place and home for many Indigenous peoples.

These selected works focus on the ways in which we relate to place and the artists’ varying experiences within the region. Attention is given to observations of interiority, relationships to proximity, personal experiences, and awareness of surroundings. The works in the gallery are produced by artists Tyler Muzzin, Bryce Singer, Roy Caussy, seth cardinal dodginghorse , and Hali Heavy Shield. The exhibition is complemented with a publication of poetry by Hali Heavy Shield.

Join us for the opening reception on Friday, May 17, 5-8 PM. The evening will also feature poetry readings by Hali Heavy Shield.

Co-curated by Kylie Fineday and Kristy Trinier.

Tyler Muzzin holds a BA in English Language & Literature from the University of Western Ontario (2010) and a BA in Studio Art from the University of Guelph (2013). He is currently pursuing an MFA at the University of Lethbridge with a focus on representations of physical environments through objects and lens-based media. Muzzin won the SAAG Writing Prize in March 2018, and was awarded a Gushul Studio residency in the Crowsnest Pass for the month of June 2018. A folio of photographs from the Sentinel series was selected for publication in Spring 2019 by 89Books in Palermo, Italy.

Roy Caussy was born in Hamilton, ON, is currently based out of Medicine Hat. He received his BFA (2006) from NSCAD University in Halifax, NS, and since graduating, has completed artist-in-residence programmes in both British Columbia and Ontario, as well as participating in numerous group shows across Canada. In 2009, Caussy completed a six-month research term in India and Mauritius. He has also received grants from the City of Vancouver and The Canada Council for the Arts.

Bryce Singer is an emerging self-taught artist from the Blood Tribe Reserve in Southern Alberta. He uses his mixed media work to explore his identity and his role as a Niitsitapi. His Blackfoot name, Mano’taanikaapi, means First Grandchild, and is an important part of his identity. He works on building an understanding of his culture and history, as well as a relationship to the land. His graphic style is influenced by the works of Indigenous storyteller and artist Dave Auger, as well as illustrator Paul Goble. He also takes inspiration from literary works such as, My People, The Bloods by Mike Mountain Horse, and The Ways of My Grandmothers by Beverly Hungry Wolf.

seth cardinal dodginghorse is an artist, experimental musician, and prairie chicken dancer that grew up eating dirt and exploring the forest on his family’s ancestral land on the Tsuu’tina nation. In 2014 himself and his family were forcibly removed from their homes and land for the construction of a major highway, the South West Calgary Ring Road.

Hali Heavy Shield is a member of the Kainai Nation/Blood Tribe of southern Alberta. Ms. Heavy Shield is a literacy activist, writer and graphic artist. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Lethbridge, studying Indigenous Literature. Nitawahsin is Hali’s first book.

Kylie Fineday is a multi-disciplinary Cree artist from Sweetgrass First Nation, SK. Her art practice focuses on themes of identity and family, as well as addressing social issues and injustices, particularly those affecting Indigenous people in Canada. She is currently completing her BFA at the University of Lethbridge. She has exhibited her work in various institutions in Lethbridge, Alberta, and has also curated art exhibits for the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, and FLIP Fest, a non-profit organization.

This exhibition was made possible with funding assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the City of Lethbridge and Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Documentation photography courtesy of Jaime Vedres, 2019.