The Tom Thomson Art Gallery has announced the opening of three new exhibitions. The TOM is proud to host Zoongide’ewin | Strong Heart, the first solo exhibition of works by local Indigenous artist Brent Henry, supplemented by a selection of works from the Gallery’s collection curated by Henry, and the short film Thunder Rolling Home, directed by local filmmaker Sharon Isaac.
Also on view is a group exhibition, The Dream of Deep Ecology, featuring work by local artist Becky Comber and Alberta-based artist Jennifer Wanner. The exhibitions are on view now through April 30.
A coffee reception and artist talk will take place on March 12 at 11 a.m., led by artist Jennifer Wanner. The artist will be sharing insight into her artistic practice and process, followed by an art demonstration with artist Becky Comber. Admission is free, all are welcome. Space is limited and pre-registration encouraged.
More on the Exhibitions:
In Zoongide’ewin | Strong Heart, local emerging artist Brent Henry investigates the dark legacy of Canada’s Residential School system through layers or graphic figurative drawings with bold colours conflated with impactful text that create visually discomforting mixed media paintings and sculptures. The works compel viewers to consider the consequences of the residential school system and the persistence of inter-generational trauma which resulted from this and other acts of colonial racism. As a descendant of a survivor, the artist draws on his family history and personal experience to communicate powerful messages not only about the oppression of his people, but also to illuminate their incredible resilience and willingness to persevere.
Zoongide’ewin | Strong Heart is paired with a selection of works from the Collection curated by the artist; these selections include works by Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, and Norval Morrisseau, among others. In conjunction with these exhibitions, a learning resource space has been created to encourage visitors to read, reflect, and share in Indigenous knowledge and cultural history.
In The Dream of Deep Ecology, local artist Becky Comber and Calgary artist Jennifer Wanner present botanical focused works that inspire an eco-centric world view. The exhibition brings attention to the vital but precarious interconnections that exist within our ecosystems through a combination of delicate photogenic cut-outs, uncanny collages of at-risk plant species, and an anthropomorphic stop-motion animation. Both artists employ a part-scientific, part-artistic approach to their practices, creating laborious works that are beautiful on the surface but underscored by tensions owing to a dominant anthropocentric world view.
Written and directed by local filmmaker Sharon Isaac, Thunder Rolling Home (Kewaquom) is a film that chronicles a family’s resilience against colonization. It reflects on the residential school system where language and culture were stripped away, as told through the words of a grandfather and survivor. Archival images and spoken word narrate the film, which traverses from the sad history of the past to the brighter potential of the present and future. “Thunder Rolling Home is a film about my father’s time spent in the Native Residential School system and the courage it took to reclaim his heritage. He tells the story through a poem, Picking Up The Pieces, written by myself, Sharon Isaac… The viewer then is taken to present day and comes full circle and showing a brighter future with the reclaiming of our culture, pride in our hair through braids, dancers, grandmother’s love, and language revitalization.” Sharon Isaac
