Founded in Montréal, Québec ELLEPHANT has a first-time Toronto address for a spectacular exhibition featuring the Mohawk artist Skawennati. Having lived in both Montréal and Toronto, ELLEPHANT founder Christine Redfern decided to have a space in Toronto because she felt that there was not a strong representation of artists exchanged between the two cities. She tells me, “It seemed like a natural programming move to introduce both cities to great artists and artworks that were under the radar in both art scenes.”
ELLEPHANT, gallery space with Skawenatti, Time Traveller
Skawennati’s exhibition, entitled AVS, spotlights her exploration of time, history, and Aboriginal culture in the virtual game Second Life. Through this, Skawennati has created an entire world centered on the fictional characters Hunter and Karahkwenhawi. They are from different periods in time but are able to fall in love thanks to a funky pair of blue time-traveling glasses. Skawennati turned this world into nine “machinima” (a movie made in a virtual world) episodes, all of which play at the gallery, titled TimeTraveller. It is easy to find yourself quickly engrossed in this story. While some parts are obviously fictional, Hunter is from Montreal in the year 2121, Skawennati includes historical facts in her game. The depictions of how First Nations people have been treated through history are cruel but are in no way at the forefront of Canadian history. I could not hide the look of surprise on my face when a priest in 1680 refers to Aboriginals as ‘savages’.
Raven, Baddest Motherfucker in the World, machinimagraph, 17 cm x 30 cm – photo by Skawenatti. Courtesy of the artist
Face Off, machinimagraph, 86 cm x 152 cm – photo by Skawenatti. Courtesy of the artist
Five Roses, machinimagraph, 35 cm x 60 cm – photo by Skawenatti. Courtesy of the artist
To display history is not Skawennati’s main motive behind TimeTraveller however. She wanted to exemplify aboriginals in the present and future. Hunter and Karahkwenhawi show viewers that aboriginal people participate in typical activities of our world today, something that Skawennati felt was not represented. The choice to convey history as well as human emotion and interaction through an virtual world is effective. The film is enjoyable to watch and brings me back to a time when I spent many hours playing video games. Though I was not familiar with Second Life, after speaking with Skawennati about how this virtual world works, I learn that it is definitely out of the realm of games I played and is less like a video game but more of a, well, second life. As I watch more and more of TimeTraveller, I discover that even with the characters’ funny facial expressions and jerky movements that are unavoidable in video games, this aspect does not take away from the emotion I experience. Skawennati successfully moves her audience with the characters she has created.
Skawennati, Dancing with Myself, Diptych, machinimagraph and photograph, Inkjet on cotton rag, 182 cm x 92 cm. Courtesy of the artist
Accompanied with the video that plays in the gallery are still images, which she calls machinimagraphs, that the artist took from the game. Skawennati was an absolute delight to converse with at the opening reception. Her warmth and charm made it a busy evening for her as she was constantly surrounded by groups of people, old friends and new. Come check out Skawennati’s AVS located at gravitypope for a lovely afternoon of art and shopping. You may find yourself sucked in by Hunter’s story and stay for the entire machinima.
Skawenatti’s Opening Reception at ELLEPHANT, October 21, 2015
Carter Brown
*Exhibition information: October 21 – November 21, ELLEPHANT, 1010 Queen Street West (entrance from Ossington), Toronto.