On the Land
Ongoing
Image: On the Land, Spray paint and Acrylic on Concrete, 2023. Photo: Kyra Kordoski
Dahlila Charlie
Eli Gloor
Jesse Campbell
Uumati Kisoun-Inuarak ( ᐆᒪᑎ)
The On the Land mural project was a part of the Indigenous Emerging Artists Program and provided an opportunity for folks with an interest in mural painting to challenge themselves under the guidance of Jesse Campbell as a mentor. All participants met together over food and discussed the theme of on the land and what it means to the each of them and came up with a loose composition. Each artist was given free reign to choose what they wished to create and where it could be rendered on the wall. Each participant received one on one mentorship from Jesse to apply their skills to the application and understand the process better as a whole. This particular wall is a challenging one for first time muralists but they made it work!
“This mural represents my memories of walking with my Grandma in our home territories in Manitoba. She seemed much taller back then. She loved the wild roses that grew near the house and the fireweed. These plants are important because the rose is a medicine and the fireweed brings beauty after a disturbance on the land, they are found here in Lkwungen territory as well as in our home territory.” - Jesse Campbell
“My piece is a representation of being mismatched and struggling to find where you fit in or belong. The being having a pocket to find comfort within the tree and bushes represents the space nature holds for life.” - Eli Gloor
“I want to recognize and give gratitude to the spirits, ancestors and people throughout my life that helped me get here to my home away from home. Namely my ancestors shown as the stars we say we come from, my adoptive great grandmother Mida Donessy, Nan Yvonne Camsell (née Kisoun) and little sister Sahara. I know wherever I go I will always have that history to provide direction. Mussi Cho” - Uumati Kisoun-Inuarak ( ᐆᒪᑎ)
“The design I contributed to the mural collab at Open Space with the artists in IEAP. The theme was 50 years on the land to celebrate 50 year anniversary of Open Space. Wolves have cultural significance and symbolic representation of Loyalty, strength, and family ties, protectors, and My family come from the wolf people, and I wanted to share that part.” - Dahlila Charlie
Dahlila Charlie
Dahlila Charlie is a Coast Salish visual artist from Beecher Bay, First Nation living in Victoria, BC. Through her stunning acrylic painting and murals Dahlila employs Coast Salish formline and realism to tell the stories of her Nation.
Jesse Campbell
Jesse Campbell is a Michif (Metis) mural painter with Salteaux, Blackfoot, Cree, French, and Scottish ancestry. He has worked as a mural painter since 2010 and is one of the facilitators of the Indigenous Emerging Artist Program. To see more of Jesse’s work visit his website at www.Campbellvisualarts.com or his instagram @jesc_art.
Eli Gloor
Eli Gloor is a Metis and European artist based in Victoria who works mainly with acrylic paints and markers. His art practice is very spontaneous and in the moment with most works being intuitively/experimentally created. Eli takes inspiration from memories, media, art, nature, dreams, and imagination. This can be seen in the varying themes and styles of his work.
Uumati Kisoun-Inuarak ( ᐆᒪᑎ)
Uumati Kisoun-Inuarak ( ᐆᒪᑎ) is a Two-Spirit multimedia artist born and raised in Inuvik NWT. Their mother's family is Inuvialuit and Inupiaq from Inuvik, NWT; Vuntut Gwitchin from Old Crow, YK; and Kaska Dena from Deylu, BC. Their father's family is Inuit from Mittimatalik, NU. The common theme throughout Uumati’s art is exploring analog creation as a way to process and recreate their experiences, especially being seen as a “contemporary” artist. Uumati is inspired by Indigenous futurism, contemporary Inuit art, and roots in animism/shamanism.
Images: On the Land Details, Spray paint and Acrylic on Concrete, 2023. Photo: Kyra Kordoski