The iakwé:iahre (we remember) colloquium looking into Aboriginal artistic facets
Concordia will be hosting the iakwé:iahre (we remember) colloquium to bring together Aboriginal artists and community members to produce a collective conversation about Aboriginal culture. This conference will be the first of its kind to be held in the province of Quebec. More precisely, this interesting group of artists and curators, assembled with the help of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective (ACC), will expand on the theme of remembrance. This ode to memory will also be presented in the creation of “a living archive.”
This idea takes its roots in the centuries-old tradition of oral communication deeply anchored in the Aboriginal culture. By discussing and sharing, the people involved in the colloquium will focus on the act of remembering using the living archive.
Various artistic exhibitions will be presented in collaboration with the iakwé:iahre (we remember) colloquium. The Fofa gallery will be presenting Exhibiting the archive / Performing the archive, an exhibit exploring our relationship with Canada’s colonial past using the artworks of three aboriginal artists. Sonny Assu will be exploring this notion of the living archive with a mix of contemporary and more classical artistic style and techniques to act as a platform for the themes of remembrance.
Amy Malbeuf, a multi-disciplinary visual artist, will be exhibiting her work concerning the ways culture, nature, identity and history can all be intertwined together when looking at such elaborate topics. Emilie Monnet will also be offering a performance closely related to the dramatic tales of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women archived in the province of Quebec.
The VAV gallery will also be presenting Making A Mark, an exhibit focusing on the somewhat complex relationship between settlers and Aboriginal societies and how art can act as a way to communicate for those two populations. This exhibit will also be specifically presented to fit into the reflection process initiated by the ACC conference.
Other cultural activities and exhibitions will take place in relation to the colloquium to show how art is related to Aboriginal history and culture.
The three-day long colloquium, taking place mostly at Concordia, will open with artists’ works and events for Aboriginal artists such as Alanis Obomsawin and Jean-Marie Gros-Louis. During the weekend, various talks and happenings, both in French and English for the pleasure of Montreal’s bilingual population, will be addressing an array of topics all related to the Aboriginal culture. During those three days, Concordia will become the epicentre of necessary and engaging discussions.
Aboriginal Curatorial Collective’s iakwé:iahre (we remember) colloquium will be taking place at Concordia University from Oct.16 to 18. For more information about the colloquium schedule, visit iakweiahre.com.
For more information about the Exhibiting the archive / Performing the archive exhibit, visit fofagallery.concordia.ca.
For more information about the Making A Mark exhibit, visit vavgallery.concordia.ca.
