Curated by Natasha Desrochers Lowenthal, Paquin Entertainment
Presented in partnership with Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art and Paquin Entertainment Group
December 17, 2021- March 19, 2022
Location: Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art, 2nd Floor of 290 McDermot Ave
EXHIBITION ABSTRACT
Pathfinder features Buffy Sainte-Marie’s full collection of large-scale digital paintings as well as never-before-seen personal sketches, artifacts and behind-the-scenes photos that speak directly to this respected icon’s unique perspective of her own multi-disciplinary life and culture and the experiences that inspired her to create these pieces.
Sainte-Marie approached the digital medium as she has with every facet of her diverse career — with trailblazing ingenuity. Reflect back to 1984 — a time when the internet was almost unheard of and home computers were in their infancy — Sainte-Marie was there, building pieces of this collection within the confines of the very first versions of MacPaint on the earliest Macintosh models. The technology was nothing like the digital production resources we have today, and was used primarily as tools for marketing and graphic design rather than for creating fine art with emotional impact. Being void of prefabricated filters or options for multiple layers, the process of creating artful images required dexterity and patience. Rising above the limitations of the software, she injected as much depth of tradition and attention to detail with pixels as one would with intricate beadwork or classic oils. Meticulously blending scanned images of her wet studio paintings and in-progress drawings and sketches with those of real fibres, feathers and beads, Sainte-Marie crafted these digital tapestries with the precision and care of a natural-born storyteller. The visual and intellectual brilliance of this collection is undeniably ahead of its time.
kîkway kâ-nôkwahk ôta
Buffy Sainte-Marie kî-ati-atoskâtasm naspitêyihtamowin âpacihcikana pêyakwan iai kâ-kî-pêatoskâtahk kahkiyaw osîhcikêwina – kî-tawatahikêw omamahtâwisiwin ohci. kiskisi 1984 askîwin – êkospîhk êkâ mwâsi ê-pêhtamihk misiwêskamik-ayapiy êkwa mîkiwâmihk ohci mamâhtâwi-âpacihcikana kêtisk awiyak ê-kî-âpacihtât – êkota Buffy kî-osîhtâw ôhi mâwacihcikêwina âta apisîs piko âpacihcikana ê-kî-ihtakohki tâpiskôc MacPaint anihi Macintosh. namôya mistahi kî-ihtakwan wîcihiwêwina mamâhtâwi-âpacihcikana ohci tâpiskôc anohc ôhi naspitêyihtamowina êkwa piko kî-âpatanwa ta-atâwâkêhk piko kîkway ohci namôya kî-âpatanwa naspitêyihtamowin tâpasinahikêwina ohci. nama kî-ihtakona kwayâc-wîcihiwêwin ahpô ka-asastâniwiki tâpasinahikêwina, ohcitaw piko pah-pêyahtak ta-osîhcikêt otâpasinahikêw, ta-sîpêyihtahkik. kî-sâkohtâw anihi kâ-wî-wanâhokot, êkâ cêskwa ê-kîihtakohk wîcihiwêwin, kî-kocîhtâw ta-tâpasinahikêt êkota mamâhtâwi-âpacihcikan ê-âpacihtât, tâpiskôc awiyak pêyahktak kâ-mîkisihkâcikêt ahpô awiyak pimiy ohci ê-masinipêhikâkêt. kîkakâyawâtisiw ê-kikinahk nanâtohk pîtos naspisîhcikana mîna tâpasinahikêwina, mîna asapâpak, pîwaya, mîkwanak, êkwa mîkisak, Buffy kî-osîhtâw ôhi naspitêyihtamowin tâpasinahikêwin ê-mamahtâwisihcikêt pêyakwan otâtayohkêw. êwakoni ôhi kâ-wâpahtamihk mîna kâ-mâmitonêyihtamihk mâmawihcikêwin kâ-miyonâkwahki mêtoni nîkânîstamâkêw.
ᑮᑿᐩᑳᓅᑿᕽᐆᑕ
Buffy Sainte-Marie ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᐊᑐᐢᑳᑕᐢᒼ ᓇᐢᐱᑌᔨᐦᑕᒧᐏᐣ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᐯᔭᑿᐣ iai ᑳ ᑮ ᐯ ᐊᑐᐢᑳᑕᕽ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐅᓰᐦᒋᑫᐏᓇ – ᑮ ᑕᐘᑕᐦᐃᑫᐤ ᐅᒪᒪᐦᑖᐏᓯᐏᐣ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ ᑭᐢᑭᓯ 1984 ᐊᐢᑮᐏᐣ – ᐁᑯᐢᐲᕽ ᐁᑳ ᒹᓯ ᐁ ᐯᐦᑕᒥᕽ ᒥᓯᐍᐢᑲᒥᑲᔭᐱᐩ ᐁᑿ ᒦᑭᐚᒥᕽ ᐅᐦᒋᒪᒫᐦᑖᐏ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᑫᑎᐢᐠ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᐁ ᑮ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᐟ – ᐁᑯᑕ Buffy ᑮ ᐅᓰᐦᑖᐤ ᐆᐦᐃ ᒫᐘᒋᐦᒋᑫᐏᓇ ᐋᑕ ᐊᐱᓰᐢ ᐱᑯ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇᐁ ᑮ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐦᑭ ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨ MacPaint ᐊᓂᐦᐃ Macintosh. ᓇᒨᔭ ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ ᑮ ᐃᐦᑕᑿᐣ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐍᐏᓇ ᒪᒫᐦᑖᐏ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᐅᐦᒋ ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨᐊᓄᐦᐨ ᐆᐦᐃ ᓇᐢᐱᑌᔨᐦᑕᒧᐏᓇ ᐁᑿ ᐱᑯ ᑮ ᐋᐸᑕᓌ ᑕ ᐊᑖᐚᑫᕽ ᐱᑯ ᑮᑿᐩ ᐅᐦᒋ ᓇᒨᔭ ᑮ ᐋᐸᑕᓌ ᓇᐢᐱᑌᔨᐦᑕᒧᐏᐣᑖᐸᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐏᓇ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ ᓇᒪ ᑮ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᓇ ᑿᔮᐨ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐍᐏᐣ ᐊᐦᐴ ᑲ ᐊᓴᐢᑖᓂᐏᑭ ᑖᐸᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐏᓇ, ᐅᐦᒋᑕᐤ ᐱᑯ ᐸᐦ ᐯᔭᐦᑕᐠᑕ ᐅᓰᐦᒋᑫᐟ ᐅᑖᐸᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐤ, ᑕ ᓰᐯᔨᐦᑕᐦᑭᐠ᙮ ᑮ ᓵᑯᐦᑖᐤ ᐊᓂᐦᐃ ᑳ ᐑ ᐘᓈᐦᐅᑯᐟ, ᐁᑳ ᒉᐢᑿ ᐁ ᑮ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᕽ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐍᐏᐣ, ᑮ ᑯᒌᐦᑖᐤᑕ ᑖᐸᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐟ ᐁᑯᑕ ᒪᒫᐦᑖᐏ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᐣ ᐁ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᐟ, ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ pêyahktak ᑳ ᒦᑭᓯᐦᑳᒋᑫᐟ ᐊᐦᐴ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᐱᒥᐩ ᐅᐦᒋᐁ ᒪᓯᓂᐯᐦᐃᑳᑫᐟ᙮ ᑮ ᑲᑳᔭᐚᑎᓯᐤ ᐁ ᑭᑭᓇᕽ ᓇᓈᑐᕽ ᐲᑐᐢ ᓇᐢᐱᓰᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᒦᓇ ᑖᐸᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐏᓇ, ᒦᓇ ᐊᓴᐹᐸᐠ, ᐲᐘᔭ, ᒦᑿᓇᐠ, ᐁᑿ ᒦᑭᓴᐠ, Buffy ᑮ ᐅᓰᐦᑖᐤ ᐆᐦᐃ ᓇᐢᐱᑌᔨᐦᑕᒧᐏᐣ ᑖᐸᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐏᐣ ᐁ ᒪᒪᐦᑖᐏᓯᐦᒋᑫᐟ ᐯᔭᑿᐣ ᐅᑖᑕᔪᐦᑫᐤ᙮ ᐁᐘᑯᓂ ᐆᐦᐃᑳ ᐚᐸᐦᑕᒥᕽ ᒦᓇ ᑳ ᒫᒥᑐᓀᔨᐦᑕᒥᕽ ᒫᒪᐏᐦᒋᑫᐏᐣ ᑳ ᒥᔪᓈᑿᐦᑭ ᒣᑐᓂ ᓃᑳᓃᐢᑕᒫᑫᐤ᙮
RÉSUMÉ DE L’EXPOSITION
Buffy Sainte-Marie a exploré le monde numérique comme elle a su si bien le faire dans toutes les sphères de sa riche carrière, soit avec une créativité audacieuse. Dès 1984, à un moment où Internet et les ordinateurs personnels n’avaient pas encore pris leur envol, Buffy s’employait déjà à concevoir les œuvres de cette collection à l’aide des toutes premières versions de MacPaint des premiers ordinateurs Macintosh. Plus élémentaire, la technologie était alors sans commune mesure avec les outils numériques d’aujourd’hui et servait principalement à la mise en marché et au graphisme plutôt qu’à la création d’œuvres artistiques chargées d’émotion. Comme il n’y avait pas de fonctionnalités multicouches ni de filtres préconfigurés, il fallait faire preuve de dextérité et de patience pour arriver à créer de bonnes images artistiques. Malgré les limites des logiciels, elle a su insuffler à ses œuvres pixellisées un sens de la tradition et du détail à la hauteur de celui qu’on peut retrouver dans les peintures à l’huile classiques et les broderies perlées les plus fines. Par une méticuleuse fusion d’images numérisées de ses aquarelles produites en atelier et de ses dessins et esquisses avec celles de véritables tissus, plumes et perles, Buffy a confectionné ces tapisseries numériques avec la finesse et la minutie d’une conteuse née. La splendeur visuelle et intellectuelle de cette collection dénote assurément une vision résolument avant-gardiste.
WE ARE FOLLOWING MANITOBA GOVERNMENT PRECAUTIONS AS THEY HAPPEN – IF CHANGES OCCUR, URBAN SHAMAN WILL ADVISE BY EMAIL & UPDATES WILL BE ON THEIR WEBSITE ON HOW YOU CAN VISIT THEIR GALLERY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND SUPPORT.
