Curator's Statement

Using teachings from the stories from the past, we can translate those messages in a way that helps guide our pathway into the future. In shaping this show, I turned to local Secwépemc narratives to find a story that could hold the layered experiences of the artists involved. Given that a large majority of the artists who participate in gallery programs are urban-Indigenous, I had to ask myself: how do I root the show in place without flattening the diversity of experiences in the room? 

In this process, I came across the story of Trout Children in the Secwepemc Tribal Casebook. It’s a long story with many teachings, but what stayed with me was the feeling of loneliness woven throughout it. Grandmother longs for children to pass her teachings on to. The Trout Children live far from home, trying to find connection. The Grandson wears his Grandfather’s skin to better fit in.The question that lingers is simple and heavy at the same time: how do you respond to the loneliness that comes from not being with kin?