EXHIBITION INFORMATION TO BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE
TENTATIVE OPENING DATE : NOVEMBER 6 2025
TENATIVE EXHIBITION RUN: NOVEMBER 6 – DECEMBER 19
Artist statement:
My work explores both beadwork and drag and seeks to connect two of my core personal identities – that of a Métis Citizen, and that of a transgender woman. Through my beadwork, I practice both traditional Métis floral motifs and contemporary expressions of my nationhood. While traditional Métis beadwork typically depicts the natural world in our distinct style, I am often drawn to interpreting a less considered but still intrinsic component of the earth: human beings. I practice both the traditional two-needle stitch of my ancestors as well as off-loom handweaving; or sewing beads onto one another to create what can resemble “pixel art.” In drag, I explore the queer traditions of camp, glamour, comedy and opulence, seeking to uncover what it means to me as a trans woman performing gender both as a way of life and a way to entertain. My inspirations as an artist include the women and queer beadwork artists who’ve come before me; not only their style and techniques, but also the work they’ve done to keep our culture alive. These people include Jennine Krauchi, Claire Johnston, Christi Belcourt, Bronwyn Butterfield, Gregory Scofield, Nico Williams, Jeffrey Gibson, and Jamie Okuma.
Artist bio:
Vi Houssin (she/her) is a transgender beadwork artist and drag performer. Her family is of white European settler and Michif descent; her Métis family has scrip in St. Boniface and St. Vital, and her family names include Ritchot, Poitras, Plante and Larence. Vi is a mentee of Jennine
Krauchi, a renowned Métis beadwork artist. She is a proud member of the Two-Spirit Michif Local and the all-Indigenous drag collective, the Bannock Babes. Vi is based out of Treaty 1 territory, the homeland of the Red River Métis, where she was born and raised.
About aceartinc.: We are an artist-run centre dedicated to the support, exhibition, and dissemination of contemporary art. aceartinc. Presents five major exhibitions a year by contemporary visual artists. www.aceart.org
We are on Treaty 1 Territory. On the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. We offer our respect and gratitude to the caretakers of this land.
