The exhibition
BUILT ON GENOCIDE
The disturbing pile of replica bison skulls transforms the vaults of the Aire publique into catacombs. A powerful work of art, this dark crypt of anonymous bones suggests a sad correlation between the decimation of bison in the 19th century and the genocide of Canada's First Nations.
A powerful gesture of decolonial re-reading, Jay Soule's installation resonates with its context in Place Royale, a place considered the "cradle of French-speaking America" but where archaeological digs have revealed an aboriginal presence dating back millennia.
Jay Soule backs up his commitment with a series of irreverent and provocative posters that use the codes of advertising to expose the wounds inflicted by colonialism.with passion and conviction, he revisits Canadian history and the dynamics of colonial oppression and exclusion that color its past and persist in its present.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
JAY SOULE - CHIPPEWAR
Jay Soule's alias CHIPPEWAR refers to his Anishinaabe heritage from the Chippewas of the Thames River; to the conflicted relationship between aboriginal peoples and the Canadian government; and to the warrior role he embodies in his artistic claims. His committed, self-taught art takes the form of illustrations, silkscreens, paintings and sculptures.
Jay Soule is a victim of Canadian government policy in the 1960s, responsible for the abduction of thousands of Aboriginal children from their communities. He was adopted at the age of 5, ran away as a teenager and lived on the streets of Toronto before being taken in by an aboriginal shelter.
PARTNERS
This work was originally produced and presented as part of the Luminato Festival in 2021.
