When Raven Became Spider
to
Gallery 1C03 515 Portage Ave, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9
Shaun Beyale, The Time Traveler, 2015
ink, marker and jellyroll pen on paper. Courtesy of Dunlop Art Gallery.
When Raven Became Spider
Curator
Leena Minifie (Gitxaała)
Artists
Joi T. Arcand (Cree)
Sonny Assu (Kwakwaka’wakw)
Shaun Beyale (Navajo)
Julianne Beaudin-Herney (Cree/Mi’kmaq/Métis)
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Blackfoot/Sámi)
Jeffrey Veregge (S’Klallam)
Gallery 1C03 is honoured to present When Raven Became Spider, a touring exhibition which brings together works by six contemporary Indigenous artists across Turtle Island who combine superhero comic book images with figures and images drawn from traditional and contemporary Indigenous stories.
The supernatural is a subject of popular fascination, evident by the number of popular superhero and fantasy comics, films, and TV shows. As exhibit curator Leena Minifie notes, the supernatural is also a part of everyday life for Indigenous people across nations.
“Traditional stories,” she writes, “highlight figures with super-heroic traits who maintain their complexity, while contemporary comic-book superheroes tend to be simply characterized as good or evil. The complex super-heroic beings of Indigenous stories imply the possibility of self-transformation for individuals and communities alike. Bringing these figures into a contemporary context is a testimony to their continued importance and to the resilience and continued existence of Indigenous people today.”
Organized and circulated by the Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan.
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Manitoba Arts Council which has made it possible for Gallery 1C03 to host this important show.