Sanguine et terres brulées / Blood Ties, Scorched Earth
Maryse Arseneault
Saturday April 28, 2018 – Saturday May 12, 2018
OPENING CEREMONY + RECEPTION
Saturday April 28th, 4 PM – 6 PM (Open to all)
Prior to the reception for this exhibition, there will be an Opening Ceremony with Whabagoon, Ojibwe Elder.
GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday May 1, 2018 – Saturday May 12, 2018
10 AM – 5 PM (Tuesday – Friday)
12 PM – 5 PM (Saturday)
LOCATION: Studio 277 – 401 Richmond St W M5V 1Y9
PRICE: FREE
Le Labo is pleased to present the exhibition Sanguine et terres brulées / Blood Ties, Scorched Earth by Maryse Arseneault during the 2018 CONTACT Photography Festival.
The Blood Ties, Scorched Earth exhibition addresses issues of appropriation resulting from early encounters between Acadians and Mi’kmaqs, as well as continued colonialism on Turtle Island. Maryse Arseneault reflects upon the marriages, mixing, and encounters between Acadians and Mi’kmaqs, which became taboo after the 1755 Great Upheaval and the mass evangelization of the remaining population. The artist sourced from the internet numerous “cabinet card” portraits of Indigenous individuals taken by pioneers, such as Edward Sheriff Curtis and C. S. Fly, and reworked them so that each face is veiled by an eight-point design, similar to those found on Acadian quilts. The photographs have been mounted on wood and installed on the floor like tiles to completely fill the gallery space. To avoid walking on the composition, visitors must follow the cardinal directions intrinsic to the Mi’kmaq eight-point star. To better observe each of the hundreds of images on view, viewers are invited to kneel down in contemplation.
Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival
ABOUT THE ARTIST
MARYSE ARSENEAULT enjoys the wind in the leaves and sad songs. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University (MFA Studio Arts 2015) and continues to create work in a multidisciplinary way. As an Acadien from Moncton, Arseneault has presented her work in professional settings since 2005, more recently with solo exhibitions at the Galerie Sans Nom (2012), Eastern Edge Gallery (2013) and the Galerie du Nouvel Ontario (2015) as well as presenting installations and performances for festivals such as THIRD SHIFT (2016-2017), Re:FLUX (2017) and 7a*11d (2017).
