Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series is an online conversation session that invites leading Indigenous Art creators to talk about their practices and processes, facilitated by Janine Windolph, Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre.
The Conversation Series engages an Indigenous lens in the various arts forms of Literary Arts, Film and Media Arts, Digital Media, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts including Theatre, Dance, and Music with Opera, Singer/Songwriter, and Classical Music. Explore and deepen your understanding of how Indigenous artists are using their arts discipline as a tool to decolonize artistic process and creation.
Bruno Canadien
Born and raised in the Northwest Territories and having lived most of his adult life in the Rocky Mountain foothills of southern Alberta, Bruno Canadien’s perspective has been shaped by a life lived in relation to the land. He values fresh air and room to roam, unspoiled vistas and quiet places, and the ethics and traditions of peoples grounded in their particular corner of the world. Join Bruno as he presents his work and practice as it relates to, reflects and critiques our relationships with our real environment.
Bruno Canadien is a visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice investigates Indigenous presence, kinship, and relationality in the contemporary context, through painting, drawing, installation, walking/land art, public art, and digital arts. Bruno is a member of the Deh Gah Got’ı́é Dene First Nation of Zhati Kǫ́ę́, Denendeh, a Deh Cho Region member of the Dene Nation. He is currently based in Black Diamond, Alberta, gratefully grounding himself in the landscapes and traditional territories of the Siksikaitsitapi, Tsuut’ina and Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi nations.
This session takes place over two days:
January 17: Bruno Canadien does a presentation of his work.
January 18: Be part of a conversation with Bruno Canadien and Janine Windolph. This second session is the space intended for your questions and comments.
Thank you for joining us!
Sessions may share experiences and ask difficult questions.
These are by registration only and questions and answers will remain unrecorded.
Image gallery
Meet Bruno Canadien
Bruno Canadien is a Visual Artist whose multidisciplinary practice investigates Indigenous presence, kinship, and relationality in the contemporary context, through painting, drawing, installation, walking/land art, public art, and digital arts. Born and raised in Denendeh (N.W.T.), Bruno has been active in the regional arts scene since graduating from the Alberta College of Art in 1993, beginning with his early involvement with the Calgary Aboriginal Arts Awareness Society, and including his recent co-curation of Big Rock River, Contemporary Indigenous Art in an Ancient Land at the Okotoks Art Gallery (2022). His work has been included in local and national exhibitions, including the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Biennale d’Art Contemporain Autochtone in Montreal, among others. His paintings can be found in private and public collections, including Glenbow Museum, Global Affairs Canada, and the Indigenous Art Centre.
Bruno Canadien is a member of the Deh Gah Got’ı́é Dene First Nation of Zhati Kǫ́ę́, Denendeh, a Deh Cho Region member of the Dene Nation. He is currently based in Black Diamond, Alberta, gratefully grounding himself in the landscapes and traditional territories of the Siksikaitsitapi, Tsuut’ina and Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi nations.
Meet Janine Windolph
Janine Windolph (Atikamekw/Woodland Cree) is the Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre Arts and Creativity. Windolph is known as an Interdisciplinary artist: filmmaker educator, curator, and storyteller. She has a Master of Fine Arts Interdisciplinary in Indigenous Fine Arts and Media Production.
Filmography includes Our Maternal Home (Director/Writer),Stories Are In Our Bones (Director/Writer) Lifegivers: Honoring Our Elders and Children (Director/Writer), The Land of Rock and Gold (Director/Writer/Producer), Ayapiyâhk ôma niyanân “Only us, we are here at home” (Production Mentor/Narrator), From Up North (Producer), The Beacon Project: Stories of Qu’Appelle Valley (Production Support/Storyteller /Producer), and RIIS from Amnesia: Recovering the Lost Legacies (Co-Director and Co-Producer).