Skeena Reece (born 1974) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: ** First Nat ...

artist whose multi-disciplinary practice includes such genres as

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

, "sacred clowning," songwriting, and video art. Reece is of Cree,

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; tsi, Ts’msyan or Tsm'syen) are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace and Prince Rupert, and Metlakatla, Alaska on Annette Island, the only ...

Gitksan Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encompasses approxi ...

, and

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which deri ...

descent.

Background

Skeena Reece was born in 1974 to

Red Power movement The Red Power movement was a social movement led by Native American youth to demand self-determination for Native Americans in the United States. Organizations that were part of Red Power Movement included American Indian Movement (AIM) and N ...

activist Cleo Reece and internationally renowned carver Victor Reece. She studied at Northwest Community College and later at the

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co ...

for media arts. She has been working in the arts since 1996 and currently is based out of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

. She has also worked in administrative capacities such as the

grunt gallery The grunt gallery is a Canadian artist-run centre, founded in 1984 and located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They show work by both indigenous and non-indigenous artists. History Established in 1984, and founded by Glenn Alteen, Kempton Dexte ...

as a curatorial practices intern, founder of the Native Youth Artists Collective, and was Director of the Indigenous Media Arts Group from 2005 to 2007.

Artistic practice

"I wanted to create this thing that was spiritually intangible and could only be seen as something if you were here right now. And nobody can take it, or even think about it or write about it or read about it later, you’ve kinda gotta be in it. It was just so magical I was like ‘that’s enough. It doesn’t have to go anywhere from here." - Skeena Reece, 2012

Reece is known for making works that deal with issues surrounding settler

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their rel ...

and its consequences on

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention * Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band * Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehor ...

peoples, especially women. Often these works unsettle and challenge their audiences. She also closely aligns herself and her artistic practice with the figure of the “sacred clown”, a

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

Indian figure who teaches lessons in uncouth ways. As well, she bases her work on trickster figures such as

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological ni ...

and

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

, who is seen as both a prankster, but also as wise. For example, in her performance, ''Raven on the Colonial Fleet'' (2010), she “wears a corset, skirt and blanket designed with reference to traditional Northwest Coast Aboriginal Art and a feathered

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the element ...

referencing the Plains cultures.” Reece uses such regalia to make a political statement and to overturn Indigenous gender roles, for example by wearing a headdress that is usually reserved for men. Images of grenades, arms, and mythological figures cover her clothing to represent her as a “fe/male warrior” and as a mythological figure, like Raven, coming to help fight against colonial violence. In 2010, she also performed this piece at the 17th Biennale in Sydney, Australia. As well, in a 2008 performance for the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

based on an episode of the television show, ''Moesha'', she dressed up as a nurse and asked the audience, "Does anyone want to share any feelings you have about being a ''colonizer''?" She proceeded to have another artist bring out a bucket of red paint in which he begins to paint “one of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

's ships on a large board as Reece speaks about sexual fetishes, fear of government and the inaccurate portrayal of Indians on television.” Reece saw this “as a metaphor for white people taking the blood of her people and painting their own history of them.” One song in her album ''Sweetgrass and Honey'' was created to honor carvers like her father and the

Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth (; Nuučaan̓uł: ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fift ...

carver John T. Williams in Seattle that was shot by a police officer. On these issues, her work also deals with the act of caring and reconciliation. Such themes can be seen in her work ''Touch Me'' (2013), a video work made specifically for the 2013 exhibition, ''Witnesses: Art and Canada’s Indian Residential Schools''. The fourteen minute video consists of Reece bathing Ukrainian-Canadian artist Sandra Semchuk. In the video, Reece washes Semchuk with a soap and cloth. Semchuk begins to tear up as Reece says “It’s okay, it’s okay.” The film is influenced by her distant relationship with her parents, who were both Canadian Residential School survivors. The film is meant to be an act of reconnection between mother and daughter, child and elder, “wanting to create a space in which touch, intimacy, and connection were animated, as well as a desire to perform a nurturing and loving act of bathing an elder inspired Reece to create this performance.” She also starred in a prominent role in the short film "Savage" about residential schools, along with Ta’kaiya Blaney, Doug Blamey, and Jennifer Jackson. The video won several awards including 2010

Genie award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

for Best Short Film, a

Golden Sheaf Award Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...

for Best Multicultural Film, the ReelWorld Outstanding Canadian Short Film, and the Leo Awards for Best Actress and Best Editing. Recently, she has also made adult-sized moss bags, similar to

swaddle Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloths so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted. Swaddling bands were often used to further restrict the infant. Swaddling fell out of favour in the 17th centu ...

bags meant to carry babies. They are meant to symbolize the care that families and communities give to new members and they are also a reminder that we always need care in our lives.

Exhibitions and performances

*2019 – ''Surrounded: Skeena Reece'',

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The gallery is housed in an award-winning building designed by architect Peter Cardew and o ...

, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada *2018 – ''Sweetgrass and Honey'', Plug In ICA, Winnipeg and at the Comox Valley Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada *2017 – ''Moss'', Oboro Gallery, Montreal, Canada *2015 – ''The Sacred Clown and Other Strangers,'' Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada *2013 – ''Witnesses: Art and Canada’s Indian Residential Schools'',

, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada *2012 – ''BEAT NATION: Art, Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture'',

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Fran ...

, British Columbia, Canada *2012 – ''Like a Boss'', The Power Plant, Toronto, Ontario, Canada *2011 – ''Acting Out, Claiming Space'', Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, Kingston, Ontario, Canada *2010 – ''The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age'', 17th Biennale of Sydney *2009 – ''Please Do Not Disturb'',

Nuit Blanche Nuit Blanche () (White Night) is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival of a city. A Nuit Blanche typically has museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of t ...

, Toronto, Ontario, Canada *2009 – ''Vampyre Love Ball'', LIVE Biennale, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada *2008 –

UBC Museum of Anthropology The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is renowned for its displays of world arts and cultures, in particular works by First Nations in Canada, First Nations of the Paci ...

, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada *2008 – ''It’s not TV, It’s Indians!'', National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC, United States

Awards

* 2017 – The Hnatyshyn Foundation, REVEAL: Indigenous Arts Award * 2014 – VIVA Award, 2014 * 2012 – British Columbia Creative Achievement Foundation, Award for First Nations Art

References

External links

"Savage" by Lisa Jackson"John Carver" song by Skeena Reece
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reece, Skeena Métis artists First Nations performance artists First Nations filmmakers First Nations conceptual artists Canadian performance artists Women performance artists 1974 births Living people Canadian women artists First Nations women