Jordan Bennett: Souvenir

Souvenir presents paintings and site-specific installations by artist Jordan Bennett in conversation with historical Mi’kmaw quillwork.  

With a research approach of visiting archives, knowledge keepers, and spending time on the land, Bennett draws inspiration from multiple vantage points. He creates large-scale compositions that echo the geometric and curved designs found in Mi’kmaw quillwork, while also responding to the architecture of the gallery space.

Souvenir explores history and heritage through immersive experiences, using bold colour palettes informed by quillwork, Bennett’s everyday life, and familiar landscapes. His work inspires joy and curiosity, reflecting the inherent beauty and humour of Mi’kmaw culture.

The quillwork pieces borrowed from Canadian museums in Souvenir were created for Atlantic trade markets in the 1800s. They contribute to a bridge between Indigenous and settler communities. Bennett positions these pieces today as teachers in conversation with his new artworks, activating a cross-generational meeting ground that connects people with ancestral pieces in a new way.

Curator: Aiden Gillis with original curator Ryan Rice
Artist Assistant: Melissa Francis
Mi’kmaw Translator: Ida Denny
 

Acknowledgements

This exhibition was made possible thanks to Onsite Gallery, Ryan Rice, Kanien’kehá:ka, an independent curator and an Associate Dean at OCAD University, consultation with Emma Hassencahl-Perley, and the countless artist assistants, staff, friends, and family members. We acknowledge the gracious support of the Canada Council for the Arts. We also acknowledge The Rooms, the McCord Stewart Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, who have loaned cultural belongings from their collections to The Rooms exhibition iteration.

This exhibition is produced in partnership with IOTA Institute as the Touring Manager.

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About the Artist

Jordan Bennett is L’nu (Mi’kmaw), from Stephenville Crossing, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). He is a member of the Flat Bay Indian Band (No’kmaq Village), where his maternal grandmother was born and raised. Guided by the land of his ancestors, his practice utilizes sculpture, painting, immersive installations, and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting, and familial histories. Bennett has taken part in over 100 exhibitions, nationally and internationally, and has received accolades, including being named the 2020 winner of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award.

About the Guest Curator

Aiden Gillis a visual artist, educator, and curator based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax) on Mi’kma’ki (Mi’kmaq Territory) in Nova Scotia. Of Mi’kmaw and French roots from Western Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), Gillis grew up primarily on Wolastokuk (Wolastoqiyik / Maliseet Territory) in New Brunswick. His art practice often takes the form of painting, drawing, and sewing, while exploring wildlife subject matter and representational themes of gender, cultural revitalization, and community empowerment. Gillis completed a 2017 BFA majoring in Fine Art with a minor in Art History at NSCAD University in Halifax, NS. Currently working in arts education and curation at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, he also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre and is an Executive Committee Member of the Canadian Art Gallery Educators.

Image: Jordan Bennett. Heather (2018). Wall mural, acrylic paint, latex paint, birch panel, plexiglass, metal stand-offs, birchbark, porcupine quills, spruce root (Quilled chair back panel [1820-1935, Mi’kmaw, maker once known] on loan from the McCord Stewart Museum [Montréal, QC]). Photo Credit: Yuulu Benivolski, Onsite Gallery, OCADU, 2022