Olivia Whetung: gaa-waategamaag
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Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art 103-421 Cawston Ave, Rotary Centre for the Arts, Kelowna, British Columbia V1Y 6Z1
Olivia Whetung, "Reflections 4," 2017-18
11/0 Delica seed beads, nylon thread
Opening Reception: July, 6, 2018, 6-8 p.m.
OLIVIA WHETUNG: gaa-waategamaag: The work in this exhibition explores Mississauga-Anishinaabe place and landscape. Many Anishinaabe and Mississauga place names refer to the water; in fact, the name Mississauga itself refers to water. Navigating within Mississauga territory means having a constant awareness of the bodies of water, even when on land. Roads follow the contours of rivers and lakes, and traffic bottlenecks at bridges. However, the physical waterscape as well as the names used to refer to places have changed over time.
Olivia Whetung works in beadwork, printmaking, and digital media. Her work explores acts of/active native presence, and is informed in part by her experiences as a language learner. Whetung is from the area now called the Kawarthas and presently resides on Chemong Lake.