Time & Place

A collaborative exhibition exploring connection to land from an urban-Indigenous perspective.

Exhibition Photography Courtesy of the Kamloops Art Gallery (Henry Murphy)

Introduction

Time & Place is an exhibition that has emerged from welcoming artists from The Indigenous Resurgence Project collective to explore their personal connection to this land through a variety of mediums and expressions. Four artists from varying Indigenous identities and lived experiences participated in this group collaborative exhibition. Each artist held a unique perspective and connection to Kamloops, each with differing experiences and feelings about what it's like to live here.

Beadwork by Brian McLean. Photo courtesy of the Kamloops Art Gallery.

About the Exhibition

The land that Kamloops is situated on has always been a hub of cultural exchange. Cradled by Simpcwétkwe (North Thompson River) and Secwepemcétkwe (South Thompson River), Tk’emlúps has been a place of gathering for generations, and continues to be for so many people.

Kamloops has become a rich multi-cultural city, an exchange of ideas, experiences, and perspectives. We all connect to this land in some way, regardless of being born here or having relocated from somewhere else. Whether we have lived here for decades or for months, the land welcomes us, and so we, too, welcome in return.

Centered on the theory of urban place-identity, explored by Harold M. Proshansky in The City and Self-Identity (1973), this exhibition explores how physical and geographical places shape an individual’s sense of self, particularly within urban environments. Proshansky argues that place-identity is not simply an attachment to one’s surroundings, but a substructure of the self—a system of cognitions, memories, interpretations, and meanings formed through our interactions with the physical world. These place-based experiences influence how we understand who we are, how we navigate social life, and how we interpret the environments we encounter.

A Steward's Affirmation, part of the Patchwork Postcard Series by Shay Paul.

This exhibition extends Proshansky’s thinking by considering time as a key dimension of place-identity: the moment, period, or life-stage in which the artist has connected to this land. These temporal relationships—when we arrive, when we leave, when we return, when we finally see a place clearly—shape how we understand ourselves just as much as the physical environment does. The artist’s connection to this place is therefore both geographical and temporal, rooted in lived experience across moments that accumulate into meaning.

Creating the Artwork

This exhibition was supported in part by the Kamloops Art Gallery (KAG), who provided 4 weeks of studio space and access to supplies and materials to the artists. Overall, the group exhibition met weekly for 8 weeks, where they worked on their art concepts and had discussions of their own experiences living in Kamloops. 

The group started with having discussions about the exhibition theme and how they wanted to approach the artwork. Artists developed artwork based on these opening conversations and explored different methods of creation. Some of the artists knew exactly what direction they were going to explore in artwork immediately, while other artists went through a few different variations and approaches.

Having dedicated time to meet every week created a safe space where artists were able to feel comfortable deconstructing complex feelings of self-identity and connectivity–in turn, finding ways to connect with one another in that place. Sometimes it was casual conversations about art mediums and art concepts as they worked on their display pieces, and other times it was emotionally charged discussions about current frustrations and belonging in a place.

Poetry by Teresa Rush. Photo courtesy of the Kamloops Art Gallery.

This exhibition is an important exploration of the urban Indigenous identity and also the complicated nature of Indigenous existence in a multi-cultural city. Just like the Indigenous population of Kamloops, the artists included in this exhibition are not easily labelled or put into categories. Some have lived here all their life, but not apart of local nations. Some are from local nations, but only recently moved back. Some have moved from other nations. Some have lived here and yet still don't feel connected to place.

By exploring the various diverse voices from Kamloops, this exhibition invites the viewer in to see different perspectives and experiences. Viewing life from the eyes of entirely different relationships to location and place, through feelings of disconnection and frustration to appreciation and rebirth.