Ways of Being: Museum London, Ontario Canada

Yhonnie Scarce

14 Sep - 5 Jan 2019

Ways of Being: Yhonnie Scarce and Michael Belmore
Museum London
Canada, Ontario

This two-person exhibition brings into dialogue the work of the Australian Aboriginal artist Yhonnie Scarce (Kokatha and Nukunu peoples) and the Canadian First Nations artist Michael Belmore (Ojibway). Working primarily in glass, Scarce makes visible the oppressive histories of Aboriginal peoples in Australia, examining relations between human bodies and the land. Through his deliberate use of materials, especially metal and stone, Belmore’s work similarly embodies Indigenous knowledge, material realities of the land, and the experience of living in relation to its sense of time.

Both artists explore notions of being in the world that express parallel histories of repression, colonial practices that set out to dehumanize. Ways of Being looks at the artistic practices of Scarce and Belmore as they critically celebrate Indigenous ways of knowing the world, which represent a valuable potential for rethinking our world in a time of global crisis.

Ways of Being is guest curated by Miriam Jordan-Haladyn (Oneida) and Julian Jason Haladyn. Both are academics, writers, and curators based in London. A Museum London catalogue for Ways of Being will be released in December 2019.