a genocide laid bare

March 21st 2023 – May 18th 2023, Massy Arts will host, a genocide laid bare, a new show by secwe̓pemc & mixed settler interdisciplinary artist jaz whitford that juxtaposes visual artworks with ekphrastic poetry, installed at the gallery as an invitation to discuss heritage, systemic aggressions, and Indigenous history between mediums.

For the show, parsing visual pieces from whitford’s work, Indigenous poets created poems exploring themes of genocide, decolonization, identity, land, and resurgence, which are enlarged and exhibited in contrast to whitford’s visual universe.

Poets chosen to be part of this project are: Louise Bernice Halfe / Sky Dancer (Cree poet, appointed as Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2021); Smokii Sumac (Ktunaxa poet and PhD Candidate in Indigenous Studies at Trent University); Jónína Kirton (Red River Métis/Icelandic poet, author, and facilitator); and Karmella Benedito De Barros (Mistawasis Nêhiyaw/Afro-Brazilian Poet, Artist, and Indigenous Brilliance Community Engagement Mentor within Room Magazine).

Part of this exhibition, Manuel Axel Strain will create an original installation piece that dialogues with whitford’s ideas on heritage, violence, and Indigenous history.

This project is supported by the Community Arts Council of Vancouver + First Peoples’ Cultural Council.

The Massy Arts Gallery is located at 23 East Pender Street in Chinatown, Vancouver.
The gallery is open Monday to Sunday, 12pm to 5pm.
Entrance is free, and masks are mandatory.

To contact the gallery, send an email to: info@massyarts.com