The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) has announced its newest exhibition, Acts of Resistance.
The feature exhibition showcases the artwork of seven indigenous artist activists from the Pacific Northwest, whose designs flew from the Iron Workers Memorial bridge on July 3, 2018 to protest the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline project.
Swaysen, Will George, a Tsleil-Waututh grassroots leader not only designed one of the featured banners, but also rappelled from the Second Narrows bridge as part of the seven-person aerial blockade to prevent an oil tanker from leaving terminal.
In this exhibition, Will George will share his firsthand experience as a member of the aerial blockade in a video created in collaboration with multi-media artist Ronnie Dean Harris, whose artwork also flew in the path of tanker traffic.
Acts of Resistance features all seven of the 40-foot-long streamers created for the aerial blockade. Featured artists include: Brandon Gabriel, Will George, Ronnie Dean Harris, Ocean Hyland, Jackie Fawn Mendez, Marissa Nahanee, and Ed Archie Noisecat. Six of the banners have been donated to MOV, while the seventh is on loan from Swaysen, Will George, who continues to use his banner for public outreach.
The exhibition will explore the ubiquitous relationship between indigenous activism and cultural expression.
Visitors will be able to engage with the banners up-close and personal, as the banners will be suspended in an innovative way that guides visitors through a gallery comprised of fabric walls.
Acts of Resistance opens February 5, 2020 and runs until July 2020.
Last modified: January 21, 2020
