Skawennati: Welcome to the Dreamhouse
Presented in conjunction with the Gallery's new Nadia Myre solo exhibition
OTTAWA, ON, May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - From May 30 to September 1, 2025, the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) presents Skawennati: Welcome to the Dreamhouse, a solo exhibition that tells the story of Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist Skawennati's dynamic artistic trajectory over 25 years, as she envisions Indigenous people in the future through avatars, costumes, textiles, prints, sculpture, time-based productions as well as machinimas and machinimagraphs—films and still images made in virtual environments.
"Skawennati fearlessly explores themes of Indigenous futurism. She has imagined avatars, dolls, goddesses, historical figures and everyday people who meaningfully and playfully intersect across time and space in a dreamhouse of her creation," said Jean-François Bélisle, Director and CEO, of the National Gallery of Canada. "We are proud to share her work with the public. The works in Skawennati's dreamhouse create a place where humanity can reach a world that has changed for the better, where the future becomes real and where dreams can be manifested in the here and now."
"Skawennati unearths often repressed histories and melds them with speculative conceptions of the future by creating worlds of discovery and wonder. In these worlds, she explores notions of time, place, memory, dreams and aspirations, particularly from her perspective as a Kanien'kehá:ka artist, activist, mother and advocate for Indigenous-centred learning and being," wrote Steven Loft, Vice-President, and Michelle LaVallee, Director Indigenous Ways and Curatorial Initiatives, Indigenous Ways and Decolonization at the National Gallery of Canada, in their introduction to the exhibition catalogue. "For her, the digital media landscape becomes just that: a landscape replete with life and spirit, inclusive of beings, thought, prophecy and the underlying connectedness of all things."
Organized by the National Gallery of Canada and curated by Wahsontiio Cross, Associate Curator, Indigenous Ways and Decolonization at the NGC, Skawennati: Welcome to the Dreamhouse brings together the Montreal-based artist's creative output through more than 100 works of art. As a lifelong science fiction and Star Trek fan, the artist noticed that there were very few Indigenous people in the stories about the future. She set out to change that through her work.
Beginning with Imagining Indians in the 25th Century (2000), a groundbreaking web-based work, the survey exhibition continues through her exploration of technology until her most recent works, such as the three-channel music video and fashion collection They Sustain Us (2024).
The majority of the art works on display in Welcome to the Dreamhouse are drawn from the artist's personal collection. Other works on view are from the National Gallery of Canada's collection (9), Canada Council for the Arts' Art Bank, Canada Council for the Arts and the Musée Pointe-à-Callière, cité d'archéologie et d'histoire de Montréal.
Catalogue
A richly illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition Skawennati: Welcome to the Dreamhouse. Edited by Wahsontiio Cross, the 136-page softcover book comprises contributions by Mojeanne Sarah Behzadi, Richard William Hill and Cheryl Sim. Available at the Boutique and online.
Public programs
A shared space, Kahwá:tsire—the Gathering of all Embers, is connecting the exhibitions Skawennati: Welcome to the Dreamhouse and Nadia Myre: Waves of Want, both presented at the same time. This gathering space is for coming together, learning and reflecting on both exhibitions. In Kahwá:tsire, visitors are invited to leave their reflections on the exhibitions as part of the community fire and create their own wallpaper designs and paper dolls inspired by the works of Skawennati and Nadia Myre. Additional learning activities planned include beading workshops with Ojibwe artist Amanda Fox, miniature birch bark canoe workshop with Algonquin artisan Pinock Smith, special meet the artist tours, and ongoing tours with interpreters. Visit gallery.ca for more details.
About the National Gallery of Canada
Founded in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada is among the world's most respected art institutions. As a national museum, we exist to serve all Canadians, no matter where they live. We do this by sharing our collection, exhibitions and public programming widely. We create dynamic experiences that allow for new ways of seeing ourselves and each other through the visual arts, while centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Our mandate is to develop, preserve and present a collection for the learning and enjoyment of all—now and for generations to come. We are home to more than 90,000 works, including one of the finest collections of Indigenous and Canadian art, major works from the 14th to the 21st century and extensive library and archival holdings.
Ankosé – Everything is connected – Tout est relié
SOURCE National Gallery of Canada
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