Copyright Date:
2019
Edition Date:
2019
Release Date:
09/24/19
ISBN:
1-553-79786-8
ISBN 13:
978-1-553-79786-9
Dewey:
779
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
A collection of photographs that challenges cultural stereotypes of Indigenous people of Canada.Canadian First Nations artist Adams has personally witnessed the stigma and ignorance that her country's Indigenous people face daily. During her long, successful career, she's worked in a wide variety of different media, including video, paint, ceramics, and beads. But in this anti-racism project, she felt that no other medium but photography could capture the raw, intense emotions that played across her First Nations subjects' faces. By placing two stark, black-and white photos of each subject side by side, Adams effectively forces viewers to reconsider their assumptions, resulting in powerful shifts in perception. In the first photo, the subject was told to pose how they believe other people perceive them, and in the second, they presented themselves how they wanted to be seen. For example, readers see a portrait of a serious-looking woman, and, above her, are the words "Welfare Mom?" Then, just below that term, readers are reminded to "look again." The second image shows the same woman, radiant and smiling, with words that describe who she is, including "Mother," "poet," "activist," and "Bannock Lady" (bannock is a kind of quick bread). Each subject described themselves in their own words, which offers readers striking insights into their lives. The art project was so successful that, in 2015, a campaign was launched to stage the portraits across Winnipeg, Manitoba; the faces were then seen on buses and billboards across the city. In this beautifully understated collection, the images are preserved in book form, which readers may use as a tool to combat discrimination. In the foreword, Canadian poet Katherena Vermette, who is of Métis descent, sums up the book's spirit: "it's about looking again, looking deeper, and to me, it's also about kindness." Indeed, the potential lasting impact of this collection can't be underestimated; this is socially engaged art at its best. A simple but persuasive presentation that encourages thoughtful reflection.
Cathy Mattes
The Perception Series:
KC Adams, and the Value
of Socially Engaged Art
Art is a catalyst for social change, and Winnipeg-based artist KC Adams (Oji-Cree) is a social-change agent. Her work addresses racism toward Indigenous peoples, engagement with the land and ceremony, the association between nature and technology, and the benefits of community and kin. With ceramics, photography, beadwork, collaborative performance, and installation, she holds up a mirror to society, and provides opportunities for viewers to participate, reflect, and strategize to make personal and collective change. Adam's photo-based series Perception challenges racist stereotypes and remedies the aftershocks of historical colonization and its continuous and present hold on contemporary Canadian society. The series relies on willing participants and an invested audience, and is best described as socially engaged art.
Although all art invites social interaction, socially engaged art depends on the involvement of others. Historically, it occurred in art galleries, where artists made artworks which were participatory and appealing, like convening visitors to share food or personal narratives in exhibition spaces. This blurred the lines between artist and audience, and broadened understandings of what constitutes art. Physical art objects or video recordings became the residuals or documentation of the process-based artwork instead of the main component.
Socially engaged art now often happens outside of gallery spaces, and artists are driven to not only challenge understandings of art, but also to make social change. They address concerns like gender inequality, poverty, or the effects of colonial oppression. They collaborate with the public to paint murals on buildings, make posters for distribution, organize pop-up exhibitions in storefronts, and create performance works at community gatherings. They activate conversations that promote self-reflection or cross-cultural education and respond to the current issues of their time. For Indigenous artists, socially engaged art is more than a yearning to make right in society; it is also about their own relationships to the land, and a way to personally and collectively heal from the negative impact of colonization. It requires making art in a good way, grounded in culture, community, and kinship ties.
Excerpted from Perception: A Photo Series by K. C. Adams
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Tired of reading negative and disparaging remarks directed at the Indigenous people of Winnipeg in the press and social media, artist KC Adams created a photo series that presented another perspective. Called "Perception Photo Series," it confronted common stereotypes of First Nation, Inuit and Métis people to illustrate a more contemporary, truthful story. First appearing on billboards, on storefronts, in bus shelters and on Winnipeg's downtown buildings as projections, Adams's stunning photographs now appear in her new book, Perception: A Photo Series. Meant to challenge the culture of apathy and willful ignorance about Indigenous issues, Adams hopes to unite readers in the fight against prejudice of all kinds.
7 Foreword Katherena Vermette
9 Preface KC Adams
15 The Perception Series: KC Adams, and the Value of Socially Engaged Art Cathy Mattes
23 Perception: A Photo Series
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