Pièces de resistance
Métis history gets multi-media treatment
Kelly Martino

Cowboys and Indians (and Métis?), the latest exhibition at aceartinc., explores the concept of what the Métis identity meant generations ago, as well as what it currently means in society.

At the heart of the exhibition by David Garneau, a Métis artist and writer, is a large, impressive history painting stylishly created using elements of collage and comic books. True to comic-book format, four large, double-spread pages depict the tumultuous story of the settlement of the West during the late 1900s and the resulting cultural resistance.

“The story I wanted to tell was multiple and complex from more than one point of view,” explains the artist, who combines bubble text, prints of the Riel Rebellion and traditional images of Canadian landscape in his colourful narrative. “I wanted to make art that has a social conscience with rich layers.”

By combining comics, considered to be a lower art form, with prints that are given a higher status, Garneau has the freedom to delve into the complexities and timelines of the situation.

The noose images seen in many of Garneau’s paintings, including the Riel Mug Shots and the Métis Flag, tap into his family history. During the Riel resistance, Garneau’s great-great-grandfather Laurent, who was a founder of Edmonton, played an active role in aiding Louis Riel’s efforts. When the resistance was quashed, Laurent was arrested and sentenced to hang. He was ultimately set free; however, tension in the area remained so great he felt forced to move.

“The noose is also like a collar or a symbol of domestication,” explains Garneau, who wanted to come up with a strong metaphor for the Métis people that went beyond just a “pride image.” “I wanted something more complex, like the noose.”

As well, several paintings are devoted to the actual Métis flag – which is the infinity symbol where two cultures are brought together – in a variety of unexpected forms, such as the Métis colour descrimination test.

Weaving personal history into his work, Garneau, whose family decades ago opted for Métis status and assimilation, embarks on a series of identity paintings that question who is Métis and what Métis actually means. One such painting depicts a cowboy and an aboriginal in a headdress looking at each in confusion while a comic bubble poses the question, “Métis?”

In another painting, a cowboy ponders what, in fact, is a “may tea.” Garneau says of this image that as a young boy his father would regale him tales of his heritage but he could not fully grasp the meaning.

“I am pleased to have my art exhibited in Winnipeg because of the history here. This is Métis central,” says Garneau, who is also a writer and the head of the University of Regina’s visual art department.

Following the Winnipeg show, the exhibit will travel to other centers with strong Métis roots, including Fort McMurray and Brandon.

David Garneau’s Cowboys and Indians (and Métis?) will be on display at aceartinc, 2nd floor, 290 McDermot Ave., until Oct. 4. Admission is free.