Mother’s Mother’s Mother: Generation Map

Since her student days, Winnipeg curator Jenny Western has pursued an interest in rural and First Nations artists. Now her new exhibition “Mother’s Mother’s Mother: The Legacy and Rebellion of Aboriginal Women’s Art” marks a major curatorial undertaking on the theme. Works by six artists—Hannah Claus, Rosalie Favell, Maria Hupfield, Shelley Niro, Tania Willard and Canadian legend Daphne Odjig—collectively offer viewers a new perspective on Aboriginal women’s history and culture, framed by the curator’s reflection on how historiographies are built from myth, memory, inheritance and difference.

The exhibition’s title refers to its focus on the idea of generational relationships and the different forms these may take within the context of family, schools of theory and the Canadian Aboriginal art scene. (Many works speak to the influence of Lori Blondeau and Rebecca Belmore.) New and recent works accompany historical pieces borrowed from the collections of the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. Later this fall, the show will travel to presenting partner the Art Gallery of Southern Manitoba in Brandon. (290 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg MB)