Missing or Forgotten

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Diane Blacksmith, “Shawl of Kukum,” 2015

moose hide and beaded pearls with cotton string and birch (photo courtesy La Boîte Rouge VIF / Justine Bourdages)

The words missing and forgotten are synonymously linked to words describing Indigenous women. In an exhibition at Urban Shaman in Winnipeg until March 10, the names of some of these women are explicitly stated in the title – Missing or Forgotten: Akonessen, Zitya, Tina, Marie and all the others.

A travelling exhibition from Quebec curated by Sylvie Paré, Missing or Forgotten features work by nine artists – Hannah Claus, Nadia Myre, Sylvie Bernard, Mariette Manigouche, Diane Blacksmith, Lise Bibeau, Annette Nolett, Diane Roberston and Akienda Lainé – who tell the stories of missing or forgotten Indigenous women through multiple media.

Divided into three sections, the exhibition explores both contemporary and traditional artistic expressions such as beading, drawing, text, video and installation.

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Anonymous, “Institutionalized Disappearance,” 2015

latex inkjet prints on canvas, wood and metal, installation view at Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art, 2018 (City of Montreal, municipal art collection; photo courtesy of Urban Shaman)

Part of the show reflects on forgotten women, like those who remain unnamed in various historical paintings, where they are predominately labeled as “Indian Woman.” Institutionalized Disappearance, an installation by an anonymous artist, speaks to this issue. It features a large picture ledge with copies of these paintings. Beneath the ledge are hooks, like those in a cloakroom, with a name above each hook. Some names echo those in the exhibition’s title.

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Hannah Claus, “For Those Who Didn’t Make It Home,” 2015

aluminum tulle, video installation and wood (City of Montreal, municipal art collection; photo courtesy La Boîte Rouge VIF / Justine Bourdages)

A video installation by Hannah Claus, For Those Who Didn’t Make It Home (2015), changes the narrative from the unnamed to the named. In a large projected light-filled circle are names of the missing, written over and over, one atop another, creating an overwhelming sense of depth to the tragedy of missing and murdered women.

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“Missing or Forgotten: Akonessen, Zitya, Tina, Marie and all the others,” 2018

installation view at Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art Gallery showing work (left to right) by Sylvie Bernard, Diane Robertson, Akienda Lainé and Diane Blacksmith (image courtesy of Urban Shaman)

Juxtaposed with the exhibition’s contemporary installations are works of traditional material culture, such as sweet-grass baskets and beadwork. Diane Blacksmith’s Shawl of Kukum, for instance, is made from tanned moose hide adorned with beads and is suspended on a large birch branch. The lighting creates a beautiful shadow that brings to mind the wings of an eagle.

The subject of the missing or forgotten is prevalent in current events and ongoing in the hearts and minds of both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community. Continuing the dialogue through artistic endeavours such as this exhibition helps us understand the struggles of our past, defines our present, and inspires us to create change for the future. ■

At Urban Shaman in Winnipeg until March 10, 2018.