K’ak’akwama — The Fireweed
An artist talk by Marianne Nicolson as part of the Koerner Artist in Residence Program
This event is free and open to the public. Please join us for a reception following the talk.
Fireweed, having a preference for disturbed soil, tends to appear and multiply after fires or logging. Its root systems can act as a stabilizer, initiating the recovery of ecosystems. Is there a similar stabilizer in the human and cultural environment after massive disturbances such as those imposed by the government on Indigenous peoples? In 2018, the Dzawada‘enuxw launched an Aboriginal title and rights case against the courts in order to protect their lands and waters from further encroachment and disruption by industry after 150 years of one-sided negotiation and ultimate negation by the federal and provincial governments. Through historical research and artistic expression, Nicolson seeks to share the Dzawada‘enuxw Nation’s story of injustice, resilience and restitution.
Marianne Nicolson (T’ayagila’ogwa) is an artist activist of Musgamakw Dzawada‘enuxw First Nations and Scottish descent. The Musgamakw Dzawada‘enuxw Nations are part of the Kwakwaka‘wakw (Kwak’wala speaking peoples) of the Pacific Northwest Coast. She is trained in traditional Kwakwaka‘wakw forms and culture and contemporary gallery and museum based practice. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (1996), a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria (2005), and a Master of Arts and PhD in Linguistics and Anthropology from the University of Victoria (2013). Nicolson works as a cultural researcher and historian for the Kwakwaka‘wakw as well as an advocate for Indigenous land rights. Her practice is multi-disciplinary encompassing photography, painting, carving, video, installation, monumental public art, writing and speaking. All her work is political in nature and seeks to uphold Kwakwaka‘wakw traditional philosophy and worldview through contemporary mediums and technology. Exhibitions include the 17th Biennale of Sydney (Australia), the Vancouver Art Gallery, the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, Nuit Blanche in Toronto and many others. Major monumental public artworks are situated in Vancouver International Airport, the Canadian embassy in Amman, Jordan and the Canadian embassy in Paris, France.
The Koerner Artist in Residence Program is made possible by the generous support of the Koerner Foundation and a private BC based foundation.
