Yǝ́dıı Kwǝ́
Xpace Cultural Centre / October 9 – November 7, 2020
One day, while graining in the studio, I found myself wanting to talk with stone (Kwǝ) and tell them all about my experiences in love, heartache, sexuality, depression, of my tireless pursuit to research my inherent Dene spirituality and teachings. Finally, Kwǝ just said, “show me”. So, by using unique, situational, and performative ways to create marks on Kwǝ, I physically show them what it might feel like to be human, what it feels like to feel bad, to feel good, and everything in between. Yǝ́dı́ı (Spiritual Being) Kwǝ (Stone) is a collaborative series of stone lithography prints, performances, and conversations between Kwǝ and me. This work shows my relationship to Kwǝ as we work with ideas of reciprocity, ceremony, and realities of urban Indigeneity.
Essay by Emma Steen : https://www.xpace.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Project-Space_Laura-Grier_Essay.pdf
Photo: Roya DelSol
PEOPLE WALK BACKWARDS / Dene K’et’a Ditla
Harcourt House Art Incubator Gallery / October 19 – December 1, 2018
This series of CMYK Screen and Lithograph prints are based on personal stories of growing up as an Indigenous woman. These stories are common among aboriginal people who have had to balance experiences of racism and inherited trauma, with our inherited responsibility to culture and traditions. I see myself always progressing forward, but I tend to walk facing the past. Having been born away from my tradition land, I use printmaking to revitalize my own Deline culture and knowledge. These prints are not only records of my own experiences, but are an example of Indigenous story telling and resilience.
Photo: Harcourt House
ARRIVALS: Curated by Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective
dc3 Art Projects: Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal/ Dan Cardinal McCartney/ Laura Grier/ Sarah Houle
Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective presents Arrivals in collaboration with dc3 Art Projects. This exhibition features the work of four emerging Indigenous artists who are redefining Indigenous contemporary art in Alberta. Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal, Laura Grier, Dan Cardinal McCartney and Sarah Houle each present new work that represents an aspect of their growing practice.
Sahtúot’ine: Stories from Deline Elders
SNAP Gallery, Edmonton AB / 2017 May 4-June 10
The act of storytelling is an act of Indigenous resistance, decolonization, and reclamation. We have a responsibility to hold on to our traditional knowledge. This series of screen prints are stories from the Deline of the Northwest Territories. As a Deline first nation, Laura Grier feels obligated to learn and tell her peoples stories. It is imperative that she preserve and share stories and lessons to demonstrate the continuation of Indigenous culture.
EKAGÔHT’E
Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax NS / 2015 Feb 15-17
Like “canaries in a coal mine,” the deteriorating health of fish and other wildlife speaks volumes about the need to clean up our waters. These series of Lithograph and Silkscreen prints subtly refers to our current way of life and it’s effects on living creatures. Influences are from real discoveries made within our environment.
Photo Credit: Jordan Blackburn