Guided Artist Research
Learning about a chosen artist
Rebecca Belmore is a member of the Lac Seul First Nation (Anishinaabe). She is an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist. My understanding is that she started at art school but soon decided to go her own way and create art that is unique to her. She has created a lot of performance pieces, some of which are costumes. She also works in marble (Biinjiya’iing Onji -From Inside), wood and nails (1181), fabric, duct tape and may other found items/materials.
In 2008 she performed ‘Victorious’ in which she created a dress made of newspaper and honey for a seated person (Diana Warren). The pose and construction were reminiscent of Queen Victoria and the use of newspaper was a commentary on the power of the written word/ media as used in the colonization of Turtle Island and the domination of indigenous people.
The piece is life size. The fact that Rebecca is there- creating the piece in real time is impactful. The participation of Diana as the regal figure is confronting as she sits there with her feathered regalia and stoic expression. Without having to use words, Rebecca found a way to challenge attitudes to monarchy, domination and power. This work reminds me of the many statues of Queen Victoria scattered around UK and that the actions and decisions of so-called empire builders were not widely questioned until recent times.
The piece makes me think about the power of the media and that this now extends online. It reminds me how important it is to think for ourselves and listen to others.
What Rebecca says: “For me, art is freedom: to speak, to think and to question.” Something she discovered was that she didn’t need to introduce her work with words- “Just realizing that I can use my body to speak.”
I am really intrigued that Rebecca used newspaper and honey in this art work and I will be inspired to experiment with unexpected materials in my future projects.
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