Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art presents a screening of After Birth by Indigenous feminist collective The Ephemerals, Jaimie Isaac, Niki Little, Jenny Western.

As part of the exhibition Entering the Landscape, Plug In ICA presents After Birth, an inter-generational journey to return to a ceremonial custom of burying the ‘after birth.’ Elder Mary Courchene narrates in Anishnaabegmowin the meaning of this gesture, to create a way of the good life for the next generation and to give back to the earth what was created in order to give life. Together these women and their kids walk the land and affirm their intergenerational knowledge and active presence in ancestral memories and matrilineal leadership. This new video work is just over five minutes long and will be followed by a moderated discussion concerning the artists’ process, collaboration, and the exhibition thematic of gendered bodies in the land.

The Ephemerals are a collective of Indigenous women, Jaimie Isaac, Niki Little and Jenny Western. They are interested in curatorial practice and creative based research in film and performance. The collective was established to function as an outlet to foster and motivate artistic production both within their individual practices as well as to engage collaborative projects that revolve around Indigenous contemporary art. Our focus is on Indigenous culture with a political and social context responding to contemporary issues. They draw inspiration from our combined curatorial multidisciplinary art practices, family and mixed cultural backgrounds. The collective’s projects are fueled by collaborative interventions and ephemeral affairs in order to push the boundaries of perceived Indigeneity. They have exhibited at 1C03, Winnipeg; ImageNATIVE, Toronto; the Art Gallery of the University of Manitoba, and Plug In ICA. Their work has been featured in an issue of Parameter Press, Winnipeg and were longlisted for the Sobey Art Awards.

Entering the Landscape is a contemplative group exhibition curated by Jenifer Papararo and Sarah Nesbitt featuring twenty-one artists from Canada, the USA, Denmark, and Berlin. Working in film and video, photography, sculpture, and performance these artists represent a breadth of politicized contemporary and iconic historical works that place the female or queer body in the landscape. Bringing together artworks that conceptually and aesthetically overlap, this exhibition identifies and considers a persistent motif in contemporary art.

All public programming is free and open to the public. Everyone welcome!