time & place features past works by female Indigenous artists Zoe Cire and Savanna Todd. The works presented explore the artists’ relationship between the earth, history and identity. Explored through various mediums, Cire and Todd foster a shared space where human life and ecological life are interdependent. This symbiotic relationship between people and nature encourages dialogue where a cultural exchange can occur, creating moments of community. Drawing inspiration from their indigenous backgrounds each featured artist offers a unique perspective into their own histories through materiality. time & place inquires the relationship of self with the earth and the movement and exchange of cultural memories that are found within.
explorASIAN Festival is hosted and largely attended on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded land and shared territories of the sḵwxw̱ ú7mesh (Squamish), the selí̓lw̓ itulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations in the city colonially known as Vancouver. We as an organization have a responsibility to honor the ancestors of this land and the continual stewardship enacted by the host nations: the xwməθkwəy̓əm, the sḵwxw̱ ú7mesh, and the selí̓ lw̓ itulh. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity and privilege of living and working on these lands.
artist statement: Zoe Cire
Cire has conversations that are expressed through forms of painting, beading and textile work. These works gather materials in a shared space, and encourage dialogue and dance of identity, where the material construction and presence of these pieces derive from sharings and passings on. Her works house the color, shapes and sounds that make up the moments of community. With a focus on the terrains of materiality and association, Cire’s Practice speaks with language and memoryscapes, where it can be found, and what it says when it reaches.
elk hide with sinew and glass beads, felt, pom poms, yarn,
12’’ x 28’’, 2019
Tufted Palms, yarn, 2019
Tufted Palms, yarn, 2019
Ceramic, 12’’ x 9.5’’ x 3’’, 2019
artist biography: Zoe Cire
Zoe Cire is a visual artist born and raised on Treaty 6 territory of central Alberta, currently residing as a guest on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories. Cire is an amalgam of Cree, Métis descent through her maternal side and mixed European paternally. Cire’s works talk with the culture that raised her, her kookum’s Cree lineage of Beaver Lake Cree Nation and mushoom’s Métis lineage. Cire completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts and minored in Curatorial Studies from Emily Carr University. Upon graduation, Cire was awarded the Vancouver Art Attack Award where she went on to have a solo exhibition, Berrypicker (South Main Art Gallery). Since then, she has exhibited in Discovery (Seymour Art Gallery) and
tântê ê-wî-itohtêyahk (Deer Lake Gallery).
artist contact: Zoe Cire
@zoeanncardinalcire
artist statement: Savanna Todd
Savanna Todd made these these three paintings in tandem with each other during the beginning of the pandemic after having recently moved into a new suite in her house. With her space empty and some time to herself, she decided to explore her relationship to the earth and history through her perspective as an Indigenous person living in a city. These works are comprised of acrylic on canvas and depict a meditative exploration of similarities that can be found in nature, as well as the artist’s relationship to herself. Antlers, roots, branches and veins all act as a connective tissue between our bodies and the earth. The artist hopes that in creating and showcasing these works, her audience can take a moment to contemplate how we are all connected and must treat the earth with the same respect we want our bodies to be treated.
Acrylic on canvas,
14×18’’, 2019
Acrylic on canvas,
14×18’’, 2019
Acrylic on canvas,
14×18’’, 2019
artist biography: Savanna Todd
Savanna Todd is a painter, illustrator and beader based in unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories (Vancouver, British Columbia). Savanna Todd is a recent graduate with their BFA in illustration at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Savanna Todd’s work brings a decolonial perspective to other-worldly atmospheres. The artist draws from their own background as Cree-Métis. Their people are from Saint Paul de Métis Settlement Alberta, and originated in the Red River Settlement and White Fish Lake First Nation, with family ties to the Turtle Mountain Chippewa.
For art related inquiries, email Savanna Todd at savannamtodd@gmail.com
artist contact: Savanna Todd
savannamtodd@gmail.com
@savanna.todd.art