Cree-Métis artist Kevin McKenzie has been working as the Artist-In-Residence at Wanuskewin Heritage Park for the month of May, and has been diligently crafting simulated body armour pieces from molded elk rawhide, deer skin, horsehair and sinew.
“It's a reaction to certain social circumstances that have happened in the past for decades”, McKenzie explained. “People wearing body armour, like the RCMP, the police, and military forces, wear this black body armour to sort of intimidate Indigenous people. So basically, I'm creating more of a simulation, and through the simulation process, I'm destroying the old object and introducing an Indigenous object”.
McKenzie not only sees the installation as a response to colonial injustice, but also the beginnings of a new generation of heroes.
“It's inspired by like a negative sort of thing, because of the police and all that, but there's also a real positive thing about it, because this is functional art, and it's designed for the new indigenous superhero,” laughs McKenzie. “There's not enough Indigenous superheroes around, and so I'm really sort of happy to introduce this exhibition, and whoever dons one of these is the superhero”.
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Негізгі бет “The First Indigenous Superhero”: Cree-Métis artist creates traditional armour in new art exhibit
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