Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Exhibiting artist Manuel Axel Strain shares insights into their art practice that includes exhibiting artwork, presenting workshops, and coordinating a multidisciplinary arts festival.
Join the artist for a behind-the-scenes look at sustaining an art career while staying connected to community and culture. This talk offers practical insight, honest reflections, and answers to your questions on balancing the many roles of a multi-faceted arts practice.
This free online session will be hosted on the Zoom Webinar platform. Pre-registration is required to join.
English captions enabled during the livestream.
Participants are welcome to join in the conversation during the Q+A portion of the event.
About the Presenter:
Manuel Axel Strain (pronouns they/them) is a 2-Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xÿmÿÿkÿÿyÿm (Musqueam), Simpcw and Syilx peoples, based in the sacred region of their qÿicÿÿyÿ(Katzie) and qÿÿa:nÿÿÿÿnÿ (Kwantlen) relatives. Strain’s mother is Tracey Strain and father is Eric Strain, Tracey’s parents are Harold Eustache (from Chuchua) and Marie Louis (from nkÿmaplqs), Eric’s Parents are Helen Point (from xÿmÿÿkÿÿyÿÿm) and John Strain (from Ireland). Although they attended Emily Carr University of Art + Design they prioritize Indigenous epistemologies through the embodied knowledge of their mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents and ancestors.
Creating artwork in collaboration with and reference to their relatives, their shared experiences become a source of agency that resonates through their work with performance, land, painting, sculpture, photography, video, sound and installation. Their artworks often envelop subjects in relation with ancestral and community ties, Indigeneity, labour, resource extraction, gender, Indigenous medicine and life forces. Strain often perceives their work to confront and undermine the imposed realities of colonialism. Proposing a new space beyond its oppressive systems of power. They have contributed work to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Surrey Art Gallery, the UBCO FINA Gallery, were longlisted for the 2022 Sobey Award and were a recipient of the 2022 Portfolio Prize. See more at the artist website HERE.
The Artist Salon Series features art professionals leading inspirational artist talks and professional development for visual artists each month from February to November. Programs are either live-streamed via the Zoom platform or hosted in person. Past livestreams may be viewed as videos on the RAG@Home video page.
