Works by two indigenous artists from both ends of the continent converge in this exhibit: Keesic Douglas an Ojibway from the Rama First Nation in central Ontario and José Angel Rodriguez, a Mestizo from Chiapas in Southern Mexico. Though their cultural backgrounds differ, these two photographers share an objective: they tell the stories of their people in images and in spirit.
Keesic Douglas’ contribution to the exhibit is four large colour photos, the subject of which is the land itself. Each work consists of two scenes composed by the artist: the image on the left represents a typical, peaceful scene of Canada’s North, while the one on the right is largely a mirror image, yet tells a very different story. Douglas thereby raises important questions concerning the rights of First Nations and the loss of certain customs. There are no people in these photos, yet the presence of a community defending its rights is ingrained in them.
For his part, José Angel Rodriguez presents a photo selection of religious ceremonies and rituals he has taken over the last thirty years. Some are the result of a complicit exchange between the artist and the subject; some are captured in silent waiting for just the right moment; all reveal a story. Furthermore, to add to the mystical tone of this project, Rodriguez’s photos are developed with palladium, an ancestral technique that necessitates sunlight. He explores this practice on traditional surfaces such as Aztec paper, stones and drum skins.
Sponsors
This exhibition is sponsored by Pine Needle Productions and CanSign Industries.
Keesic Douglas
Keesic is an Ojibway artist from the Rama First Nation in central Ontario, Canada. His practice utilizes photography, video and performance focusing on themes of exploring history, identity, representation, and the environment through an Indigenous perspective. Keesic’s work has been exhibited both across Canada and internationally. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions in Winnipeg, Toronto and recently the Orillia Museum of Art & History as well as group exhibitions in Budapest, Prague, Mexico, Vancouver, Montreal,Toronto and New York City. In 2009 his video War Pony screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany. His short film The Vanishing Trace won best short documentary at the imagineNATIVE Film Festival in 2007. In the summer of 2014, his work was exhibited as part of Before and After the Horizon: Anishnabek Artists of the Great Lakes at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Keesic graduated with a BFA from OCAD in 2008 where he won the medal for photography and completed his MFA at UBC in Vancouver BC in 2010.
Artist ProfileJose Angel Rodriguez
Jose Angel Rodriguez has been an active photographer for forty years. His works have been exhibited many times in Mexico as well as in the United States and in Europe. His first book “Vidas Ceremoniales” (Ceremonial Lives) was published in 1991 and his second, “Cazador de Imagenes” (Hunter of Images), in 2002. Rodriguez is also a professor of photography at the Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas.
Artist Profile