Uprising: The power of Mother Earth, an exhibition by Christi Belcourt and Isaac Murdoch recently on display at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, was infused with love and a call to action. The compelling and urgent message proclaimed by the large paintings was the need to act immediately, in unity.
Articulate and heart-wrenching text panels accompanied the artworks, educating us on land-based traditions of these Métis and Ojibwe artists and the consequences of ignoring the spiritual imperative to respect nature. As part of the outreach for the exhibit, Belcourt and Murdoch led a public art, silk-screening workshop, at which participants created protest banners in defence of Mother Earth. Examples of the banners greeted the viewer and maintained a solid presence throughout the exhibit. They emphasized and supported the power of collective action. All of these elements remind us that we need to be present and active in our defence of life on the planet. We need to show up.
Many of the artworks in the exhibit are by Belcourt, referencing her rich heritage by depicting traditional Métis beadwork on black velvet. Vivid images of flowers, leaves, birds and insects are built from many, many tiny dots—sometimes dots on top of dots!—representing beads of every colour. It feels as if each dot is a prayer. The skillful patience and dedication that is manifest in the works creates a spiritual presence that permeates the exhibition.
Other images share stories of human suffering amid ongoing environmental desecration. Still others reference legends and teachings that can inform and guide us. All of them deeply honour Mother Earth.
Belcourt’s use of repetition—of dots, shapes and themes—drives home the urgency of her message. The size of the works reflects the enormity of the challenges we face, while their intricacy points to a way forward: respect for the rich diversity in nature that can help us to live well. Belcourt particularly emphasizes the importance of water through her rich and extensive use of the colour blue in many of the works.
Belcourt collaborated with emerging artist and Knowledge Keeper Isaac Murdoch on Uprising: The power of Mother Earth, which is slated to tour in 2019. Viewers may recognize Murdoch’s graphic work “Water is Sacred,” which reached the public during the long and brave resistance at Standing Rock in 2017-2018. Belcourt and Murdoch are two members of the Onaman Collective of artist-activists dedicated to respect for the land. In the spirit of that collectivity, one of the paintings in the exhibition is a joint work by Belcourt and Murdoch. Above it, a quote by Murdoch reads, “Apii Maamawi-Izhide’eying Gi-Ga-Gashkitoomin Ji-Bimaajitooying Aki Gaye Nibi. When We Join our Hearts Together The Land and Waters Will Be Saved.” We are part of nature. We are all Treaty People. The issue at hand is one of relationship: to each other and to Mother Earth, the mother of us all.
At the exhibition, there was a photo station, where visitors could hold up cards, including one that declared, “The Earth Is My Government.” So it must be, if we, locally and globally, are to survive. What can we do to bring balance back into our relationship with the planet that sustains us? The message is clear and urgent: We need to act. We need to act together. We need to act together NOW. Christi Belcourt and Isaac Murdoch offer us visionary leadership. Belcourt and Murdoch use art to convey traditional, life-affirming values and the depth of their importance, especially given the context we are in today. They have translated what their hearts speak into stunningly beautiful visual forms, instantly accessible to the viewer, and they openly invite us to join them.
Robin Faye is a multi-media sculpture artist and arts educator living in Thunder Bay, on the traditional territory of the Ojibway of Fort William First Nation of the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850. Her current projects are a series of sculptural weavings and paper mâché wall pieces.
