The Scene Between: An Exploration of When Cultures Meet

Cultural disconnect and loss is a common theme running through many Canadian families. This exhibit explores one artist’s journey to find beauty in the fragmentation within her own family. Loosely drawing from Anishinaabe beadwork patterns found on bandolier bags made in the 19^th century, the heart of this exhibit is one set of letterpress printed hand carved linoleum blocks that in turn, symbolize lost language, cultural assimilation as well as genetic traits.

Michelle Wiebe has created several small bodies of work that explore joining of her Scottish, French and Ojibwe heritage. Each series focuses on aspects she has grappled with in learning about her family’s history; these can be summarized as Loss, Searching and Appearance. While the same patterned linoleum images form the foundation of each piece, the results widely vary in the clarity and intent. This results in a collection ranging from wordless protest posters to colourful mixed media work through to stark multi block linocut prints. Through the repetition of letterpress printing and various themes explored in these works, a pattern begins to emerge of personal identity as well as an awareness of what has been lost. Throughout this process is reflection on whether it is possible to appropriate from one’s own culture if a person was not raised within it.

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