There are over 630 different First Nation communities in Canada, each with their own traditions and history. As an example of this diversity, Le Banquet features six contemporary indigenous artists from Quebec. Their works are a beautiful blend of traditional art forms and contemporary practices, creating a unique aesthetic that is both familiar and fresh.
Contemporary Indigenous art continues to evolve, and an increasing number of artists are incorporating unconventional materials into their work. As an example, Caroline Monnet created a series of busts made from mini-skirts and concrete—in a tribute to the murdered and missing Indigenous women. M.C. Snow and Ludovic Boney are also using diverse materials. M.C. Snow pays tribute to the moon as an ever-vigilant life sustainer and grandmother of the community, with epoxy resin and encaustic wax, and Ludovic Boney’s sculpture is made up of colorful and suspended scrolls elegantly supported by metal cables—challenging assumptions about what constitutes as "Indigenous" art.
Other forms of expression include beadwork—as seen in the works by Renee Condo and Craig Commanda. Commanda takes an intuitive, abstract, approach to his beadwork while Renee Condo uses large, machined painted wood beads set in resin. The beads be seen as individual entities, but they also exist as part of something much larger than themselves. And another material that continues to thrive is basketry. Nadia Myre’s basket-weaving project is a response to clay tobacco pipes, one of the first disposable items to enter British colonial trade from the so-called New World.
Indigenous art is evolving and changing, just as the Indigenous peoples themselves are, and it's important for artists to be able to express themselves in new ways that maintain their cultural identity. As an example of this diversity, Le Banquet features six contemporary Indigenous artists from Quebec— Caroline Monnet, Craig Commanda, Ludovic Boney, M.C. Snow, Nadia Myre, and Renee Condo. Their works are a beautiful blend of traditional art forms and contemporary practices, creating a unique aesthetic that is both familiar and innovative, and the variety of materials and techniques on view both affirm and challenge assumptions about what constitutes as Indigenous art.
