Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is pleased to present:
When Veins Meet Like Rivers; ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖅ / okhížata / maadawaan Tees
in concurrence with the exhibition featuring asinnajaq, Kite & Dayna Danger
Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, 1- 460 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB
To celebrate asinnajaq, Kite and Dayna Danger’s exhibition When Veins Meet Like Rivers; ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖅ / okhížata / maadawaan on display at Plug In ICA, the artists have created a special edition shirt available in limited quantities through the Plug In ICA shop. Inspired by grindcore aesthetic, the design features distinct hand drawn text by asinnajaq and the rock formation used in Kite’s installation Iron Road. We are pleased to present the launch in conjunction with Orange Shirt Day on September 30, 2021. $15 from the sale of each orange long sleeve tee will be donated to the Wa-Say Healing Centre. Shirts are currently available for preorder and will be ready for pick up or shipment September 28, 2021.
Exhibition information: Writing about the experience of working with asinnajaq, Kite and Dayna Danger, Allison Yearwood writes: Sharing and being transparent was the starting point of the work and always offering what felt true. Traditionalists might balk at the lack of formal evidence, but the silence was the language of trust the 4 of us worked in. The ability to reveal, hold, know and create while being in remote orbit. Constant care and consideration.
asinnajaq is a visual artist, filmmaker, writer and curator based in Montreal, QC. asinnajaq’s practice is grounded in research and collaboration, which includes working with other artists, friends and family. In 2016 she worked with the National Film Board of Canada’s archive to source historical and contemporary Inuit films and colonial representations of Inuit in film. The footage she pulled is included in her short film “Three Thousand.” The film was nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. asinnajaq was a part of the curatorial team for the Canadian Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale and was long listed for the prestigious Sobey Art Award in April 2020.
Dayna Danger is a 2Spirit/Queer, Metis/Saulteaux/Polish visual artist raised in so called Winnipeg, MB. Using photography, sculpture, performance and video, Dayna Danger‘s practice questions the line between empowerment and objectification by claiming space with her larger than life scale work. Danger’s current use of BDSM and beading leather fetish masks explores the complicated dynamics of sexuality, gender, and power in a consensual and feminist manner. Danger is currently based in Tio’tia:ke. Danger holds a MFA in Photography from Concordia University. Danger has exhibited her work in Santa Fe, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Peterborough, North Bay, Vancouver, Edmonton and Banff. Danger currently serves as a board member for the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective (ACC/CCA).
Kite aka Suzanne Kite is an Oglála Lakȟóta performance artist, visual artist, and composer raised in Southern California, with a BFA from CalArts in music composition, an MFA from Bard College’s Milton Avery Graduate School, and is a PhD candidate at Concordia University. Kite’s scholarship and practice highlight contemporary Lakota epistemologies through research-creation, computational media, and performance. Her performances, compositions, sculptures and sound installations showcase the use of experimentation in new media and digital technologies that touch on issues such as nonhuman and human intelligence, the ethics of extractive technologies, and software design. Recently, Kite has been developing a body interface for movement performances, carbon fibre sculptures, immersive video and sound installations, as well as co-running the experimental electronic imprint, Unheard Records. For the inaugural 2019 Toronto Art Biennial, Kite, with Althea Thauberger, produced an installation, Call to Arms, which features audio and video recordings of their rehearsals with Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) York, which also consisted of a live performance with the conch shell sextet, who played the four musical scores composed by Kite. Kite has also published extensively in several journals and magazines, including in The Journal of Design and Science (MIT Press), where the award winning article, “Making Kin with Machines,” co-authored with Jason Lewis, Noelani Arista, and Archer Pechawis, was featured. Currently, she is a 2019 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar and a Research Assistant for the Initiative for Indigenous Futures.
Opening Hours and Procedures
Plug In ICA is by appointment until December 17, 2021. Appointments are available during gallery hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 12 – 6 pm; Thursday 12 – 8 pm; and Saturday 12 – 5 pm. Visitors must wear masks in our space, maintain physical distancing and stay home when ill. In alignment with Provincial guidelines, visitors are required to show proof of vaccination to attend the exhibition. Vaccination status can be provided ahead of your visit by sharing an image (e.g. screenshot) of your immunization card QR code by email or upon arrival by showing your physical or digital vaccination card to gallery staff. Children under the age of 12 may visit Plug In ICA with a fully vaccinated member of the same household. Please book through our online booking system, email info@plugin.org or call 204-942-1043 to make your appointment today. Please note, our online shop is open and curbside pickup is available.
Acknowledgments
We are on Treaty 1 Territory. Plug In ICA is located on the territories of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. Plug In ICA supports the renewed calls from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, in recognition of the children whose remains were found on the former sites of the Indian Residential Schools on Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation, Cowessess First Nation, Ktunaxa Nation and the community of ʔaqam, Penelakut Tribe territory and for all the children who never came home.
24-HOUR CRISIS LINE FOR RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVORS:
1 (866) 925-4419
Wa-Say Healing Centre Inc. is a Treaty 1 based organization that provides services and programs to support individuals, families and communities affected by the Indian Residential School (IRS) system. The Wa-Say Healing Centre Inc. Mission is “Understanding the History; Accepting the Present; and Planning for the Future.” They provide Resolution Health Support Workers (RHSW’s) and Cultural Support Workers (CSP’s) to Former IRS Students who request such support at IAP proceedings, IRS Dispute Resolution processes, IRS court hearings, Truth and Reconciliation Commission and/or commemorative events and emphasize after-care so that IRS Survivors can begin to plan their journey to healing and wellness. You can learn more about Wa-Say Healing Centre at http://www.wa-say.com/. Visit https://www.orangeshirtday.org/ for more information about Orange Shirt Day and its efforts to share the experiences of Residential School Survivors.
Plug In ICA extends our heartfelt gratitude to the artists we work with, our generous donors, valued members, and dedicated volunteers. We acknowledge the sustaining support of our Director’s Circle. You all make a difference. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council, the Manitoba Arts Council and Winnipeg Arts Council. We could not operate without their continued financial investment and lobbying efforts. For this exhibition we would like to acknowledge the generous support of Manitoba 150.