Li Salay

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Katherine Boyer, "Rug," 2016

found fabric, string, yarn, seed beads. Collection of the Artist.

Li Salay (Michif for “the sun”), a new exhibition focused on the work of Métis artists from across Canada, stems from co-curators Amy Malbeuf and Jessie Ray Short’s intensive, cross-Canada research and studio visits with over forty Métis artists in 2016 and 2017. Their research revealed the emergence of common, and often intersecting, themes in the artists work, including kinship, labour, the body and land.

The curators write: “An eclipse or a cloudy day may present an incomplete or partial vision of the sun. Similarly, Métis people are largely partially visible and partially understood within the cultural fabric of Canada. Li Salay acknowledges Métis people as always present and always whole, although they are often perceived as being partial. Métis art is often invisible due to being subsumed under broader notions of Indigenous art, leaving no space to be defined within it’s own context. Li Salay will examine the shifting boundaries of contemporary Métis artistic practice in an exhibition curated by and comprised of Métis artists.”

Including: Lori Blondeau, Katherine Boyer, Dayna Danger, Rosalie Favell, Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, Casey Koyczan, Tim Moore, Audie Murray, Sheri Nault, Sherry Farrell Racette, Les Ramsay, Jewel Shaw, Amanda Strong

The Li Salay Symposium invites Métis artists to contextualize their work.On May 25 and May 26, Métis artists, curators, writers and academics will take part in critical conversations on the current state of Métis art, understandings around material culture and themes surrounding their individual practices in a context of Métis art as well as their motivations and inspirations in participating in this exhibition.