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Once a story is told, it cannot be called back. Once told, it is loose in the world.
Thomas King
Renee Linklater, member of Rainy River First Nations in Northwestern Ontario, wrote on King’s words that we must locate ourselves within what we do. That “wellness is directly related to how one is able to be in Creation.” That we locate ourselves in our stories to connect the disconnected. This is the essence of Sagatay (New Beginnings), a coming together to create wonderful moments powerful enough to transform even space and time. The magic flows in our gifts to work in peace with the energies of the world. The Anishinaabe meaning of “Sagatay” roughly translates to “a new beginning”, which is what we strive for in this show that marks a new moment for us as artists who are still grappling with trauma and loss but looking forward to a new horizon with hope.
Indigenous nations from across the globe have been at the forefront for the protection of our environment, our giver of life. With the wonders of our environment and the ability we carry to reshape our future with our own hands fully on display, Sagatay (New Beginnings) calls us to action to protect and fight for the future of our planet’s well being: to come back to our base teachings of love and respect, paying respect to the land and the place we call home. Especially critical at this time due to the urgency in our climate crisis, these installations are altars of reverence for their respective elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.
Jaene F. Castrillon (Mixed race Indigenous Colombian/Hong Kong Chinese), Danielle Hyde (Mixed Anishinaabe Ojibwe Garden River First Nation, Italian and Ukrainian mix) and Kate Meawasige (Anishnaabe artist from Genaabajing – Serpent River First Nations), each work on Turtle Island, the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Working in the framework of disability, we “wonder-work” to gather in ceremony in a good way here, activating the sacred space for feeling and healing. Through these living tableaus, we are invited into a different and sacred realm, transported to the delicate space of where 4 elements come together in a balanced harmony.
A large gallery space filled with the various tableaus of “Sagatay (New Beginnings)”. To the left of the frame, there is a copper pot on a pedestal, with long strings of red, yellow, and orange beads stretching out of it towards the ceiling like a column of fire. To the right of the pot, there is text on the wall which introduces the exhibit, next to a door into the room beyond. To the right of the frame, several paintings and a large dreamcatcher are mounted on the wall. There is a plush purple bench in the center of the space, and potted plants are scattered here and there against the walls.A corner gallery space hung with three large, vibrant paintings, each representing a different season. An irregularly-shaped willow dream catcher hangs on top of the painting on the right. Four spiky plants sit on the wood floor beneath the paintings, along with a ring of smooth stones surrounding a small object. A painting by Danielle Hyde representing summer. The painting features a person surrounded by red and black berries and tall cattails, framed by the sun’s rays. The person has their head tilted to the sky, hand stretched above them as if to shield their eyes from the light. The painting is made up of loose brush strokes in purples, oranges, greens, and blues.A painting by Danielle Hyde representing fall. The painting features a person tilting their face to the sky next to a deer with large antlers. The two appear surrounded by abstract trees with bare branches, and fallen leaves in warm reds, oranges, and yellows. A round autumn sun fills the sky behind the pair. A painting by Danielle Hyde depicting two figures embracing, one gazing up at the serene face of the other. There is a small animal beside the pair, looking up at them. The three are painted in soft purples and yellows, and behind, there is a branching ring of white, like curved branches or rays of light.A large dreamcatcher made from tan willow branches curved into a not-quite-round shape, a web of light cordage stretched taught in the center.A corner gallery space filled with the elements that make up Jaene F. Castrillon’s interactive tableau, “Zaagi’idiwin (love)”, which represents wind. An image projected onto the corner shows a snow-covered ground and snowshoe, and there are small multi-media pieces hanging on the walls to either side. Many small objects lay on a blanket beneath the projection, including music makers, antlers and a round piece of wood cut from a tree. The right-hand wall is hung with many colorful paper cranes.Shot from above, a sheer rainbow scarf sits on the floor in the corner of a white gallery space. On top of the scarf are several objects: a single antler, wooden music makers, a small clay vase, and two round pieces of wood cut from tree trunks. The wood slabs each display small trinkets including strawberry candies, a monarch’s wing, polished stones and flat clear marbles.Shot from below, hundreds of thin strips of paper hang down in strands from a light fixture which shines through. The strips are deep purple along the bottom, cream and white through the centre, and light blue in the top right corner.A close-up of a wooden shelf with four small glass-framed objects. The frames on the left and right sides each contain a single feather, brown and brilliant yellow respectively. The frames in the center each hold a broken piece of a monarch butterfly’s wing. The shelf is mounted on a white wall.A round piece of wood cut from the trunk of a tree sits on a raised white platform. Many small objects sit atop the wood, including a patterned paper crane, several flat clear marbles, a pile of pennies, a polished stone carved with swirls, and a glass polar bear. Against a gallery wall, small stones of many shapes and sizes are arranged in a line on the floor. In the center of the line, smaller stones lie in a circle around a larger center stone. Where the line ends, two patterned paper cranes perch next to the stones. A white screen stretches to the ground, with colourful scarves draped over the top and hanging on either side. A white tapestry hangs on the screen, depicting a cartoon of a baby polar bear with a butterfly perched on the tip of its nose. The tapestry is surrounded by dozens of colourful paper cranes. Many smooth stones are arranged in a row beneath the screen, with the stones in the middle forming a small ring. A flat-screen television hanging on a wall projected with rainbow light showing a still frame of a person signing with both hands in front of them. They are standing in front of a black, orange, and blue background in a Navajo weaving pattern.A white gallery wall hung with a flatscreen television showing a fire burning in a small rounded vessel. Above the television, a light-coloured piece of driftwood is mounted on the wall. Three colourful paper cranes sit atop the driftwood, and a small wooden wind chime hangs from the end of the right hand side. A close-up of part of Kate Meawasige’s beaded curtain, a ring of tiny orange, yellow, and red beads that recall a curtain of flames. The beads hang from ring, and only those closest to the camera are in focus. A gallery space filled with various pieces from Sagatay. In the center of the frame is a white projector screen showing a snow-covered stone inuksuk. In front of the screen, there is a copper pot on a pedestal, with long strings of red, yellow, and orange beads stretching out of it towards the ceiling like a column of fire. Colourful scarves, one blue and one orange, hang on either side of the screen, creating two makeshift doorways that lead to another part of the exhibit. A plush pink bench sits in the foreground.Kate Meawasige’s tableau, “N’di aabwe’enmaa aw emnjidoodwid”, representing fire. The tableau features a copper pot on a pedestal, with long strings of red, yellow, and orange beads stretching out of it towards the ceiling like a column of fire. Behind the fire sculpture is a projector screen showing a stone inuksuk with a person in a puffy red jacket standing in front of it. A sheer blue scarf hangs next to the screen, creating a makeshift doorway into another part of the exhibit. A screen hanging on a white gallery wall shows a vast blue ocean with ice floating on the calm water. The screen is surrounded by three sculptures, each a long rectangular mirror surrounded by clear shapes that resemble water frozen mid-splash. Water flows down the center of each mirror into a hollow stone at the bottom. Between the sculptures, there is a white box with round black objects scattered atop. A long thin rectangular mirror surrounded by an intricate sculpture that resembles water, frozen in time mid-splash. A stream of water flows down the center of the sculpture.
Images by Michelle Peek Photography courtesy of Bodies in Translation: Activist Art, Technology & Access to Life, Re•Vision: The Centre for Art & Social Justice at the University of Guelph. Artwork byJaene F. Castrillon, Danielle Hyde, and Kate Meawasige from the Sagatay (New Beginnings) exhibition at Tangled Art + Disability.
