Bloodline

 

I mentioned in my post last Sunday that I had gone to the Heard Museum to attend an event.  It was a lecture about the latest exhibit on display called "Bloodline".  It contains the work of Meryl McMaster a member of the Cree Nation in central Saskatchewan Canada.  Her work is called performance art photography. The works portray herself in a variety of costumes and arrangements that she fashion and constructs herself.  Each one has multiple layers of themes. The photo above is called "Anima".  The artist says that in the Cree culture, butterflies are associated with the presence of ancestors.  McMaster says "It's as if I were turning to ice and the butterflies are in a sense breathing life back into me."

This photo is called "From a Still, Unquiet Place". It is an expression of her hybrid ancestry reflecting her Scots ancestry on her Mother's side and her Cree and Siksika family on her Father's side.  She is wearing a large, feathered headdress, a Scottish plaid garment and carrying school bells in her hands recalling the legacy of residential schools.  

This photo is from the same series called "From a Still, Unquiet Place".  The whole exhibit shows an amazing amount of creativity and thought.  I enjoyed reading her descriptions of the different photos and what they mean to her.  Meryl McMaster is a very talented woman.