Friday, Jul 24, 2020 6:00 PM
CHIKANISHISH
may we gather, whole hearts for Brian Solomon ‘s performance. chikanishing (big fence river), is a very special place to the shebahonaning anishinabek. it’s the access point from rough waters that have claimed many lives, to the interior of our lands. a burial site, a place for ceremony and a safe haven with a village where many of our ancestors lived. back home we go up to the chik’ in the middle of the night to catch some of the greatest little fish, smelts. when the frogs start croaking in the spring it’s time.enter this beguiling landscape with someone whose bones are formed from the river rock here, and let them show you what it might reveal about your spirit. rivers give life, take life, and we ride them to where we need to go.
solomon is of anishinaabe and irish heritage, born in the remote community of shebahonaning, located in the manitoulin district of northern ontario, canada. the bedrock in the area is among the oldest on earth. there are white mountains of quartz, silica and granite. there are clean bodies of fresh water the size of seas in every direction. animals, plants and humans have thrived in the region since before the ice age and solomon’s ancestors have been on that land a very long time. this immense fortune he was born into informs his work greatly. these were his first teachers.
solomon followed first in the tradition of visual art in the region – the surrounding lands are one of the birthplaces of eastern woodland art, and many contemporary artists are drawn here to practice. he began his visual art practice learning from some of these artists. while working as a portrait artist in his teenage years in sudbury ontario, solomon discovered theatre, traditional and contemporary dance. he moved to toronto to train at the school of toronto dance theatre, and later received a masters in performance from the laban centre (uk). solomon then performed in dance and theatre for dozens of creators from across canada, the us and europe, earning several dora and gemini award nominations.
currently as a creator his work is multidisciplinary, raw, challenging and present. he has created community works with over 40 interpreters, solos in trees, and animated installations of landfill. solomon’s work has toured nationally and internationally. it has been presented at the art gallery of ontario, the mcmichael canadian art collection, toronto’s harbourfront centre and ngbk – neue gesellschaft für bildende kunst berlin, among others. a co-creation with german visual artist judy ross on their film “the filmmaker”, won best prize for experimental film at watch out! film festival in macedonia solomon was also a recipient of a reveal indigenous arts award from the hnatyshyn foundation.
he has taught his practice in numerous friendship centres, dance and theatre companies, shelters and in universitie. solomon is passionate about helping people relearn about their forgotten bodies, and take back the space those bodies occupy.
Web of Virtual Kin
Virtual gatherings, workshops, teachings, circles, parties + panels coming from Indigenous community members to hold space with our NDN kin across Nations, Lands + Waters. In an effort to locate + contribute to nodes in our interconnected web of relations during these times of social-distancing.
This series of gatherings centers and nourishes place-keeping of our Black, Brown, 2Spirited, trans, non-binary + indigiqueer community members and upholds harm reductive protocols that provides a sense of safety that is ever-evolving. This programming is held with Indigenous youth, 2Spirit indigiqueer community as well as families both blood + chosen to stay connected with our cultures, communities and creativity.
In each event posting, we will clarify who this event is open to – most of the time these gatherings are open exclusively to Indigenous + Black-Indigenous community members.
** If ever you are questioning if an event is for you, please feel comfortable connecting with us to ask. Please feel to come as you are. Do not hesitate to write to us if you have comments and / or suggestions.
Web of Virtual Kin is a collaborative weaving of intentions and community relationships, organized by SS2S :: StrongSpirit2Sircle, Land as Our Teacher (Concordia+) and nistamîkwan. SS2S wishes to extend gratitude to ASRC + Centre Clark + ACC-CCA for their generous support as well as CRE + Hand & Hands for their contributions during these times to the community. Web of Virtual Kin receives generous + generative funding support from LAOT and BACA 2020 Kahwatsiretátie : Teionkwariwaienna Tekariwaiennawahkòntie.
