Artist Bios
Kemi Craig Bio
Kemi Craig is a contemporary analogue artist living and working in the traditional Lekwungen Territories known as Victoria, BC. An American of African descent born outside of Washington DC and raised in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, her work centers on futures for raced and gendered bodies. Working through Super 8, 16mm film, and cellphone video Craig couples performance with devices of looking to interrogate the simultaneous experiences of past, present and future.
Craig received academic training, completing her Master of Applied Art through Emily Carr University of Art and Design however; she is primarily a self taught filmmaker through workshops, community activism and working at artist-run centers. She has been able to study dance and film under the tutelage of Daniel Conrad, Dana Claxton, Monique Salez, Peg Campbell and Trudi L. Smith.
Lindsay Delaronde Bio
Lindsay Delaronde is an Iroquois/ Mohawk multi-disciplinary visual artist who works in print-making, painting, drawing, video and performance. The intention of her work is to manifest the relationships between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and also intercultural respect among allies, nation-to-nation.
Delaronde is a strong advocate for Indigenous voices, stories, culture and history. Her first solo exhibition In Defiance at the Legacy Gallery supported the voices of Indigenous women on Vancouver Island and the Mainland of British Columbia. The exhibit showcased individual portraits that dismantle the negative stereotypes of First Nations women by having the individuals portray themselves more authentically reflecting truth of diversity, power and respect. Delaronde was the Indigenous Artist in Residence for the City of Victoria from 2017 -2019, during which time she created many works and curated many events, including the Performance as Medicine: Indigenous Performance Art Symposium and the video and performance work Forgive.
Lindsay Delaronde has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Victoria.
Colton Hash Bio
Colton Hash is an emerging artist who currently resides as an uninvited guest on Lekwungen territories of Vancouver Island. Hash’s multimedia practice is inspired by the wild and anthropogenic landscapes that surround him. Through an intuitive coding process, Hash creates impactful digital installations to foster reflection on contemporary issues. Hash employs representational imagery as a strategy to create accessible works that engage with the general public. In recognition of his politically based practice, Hash received the Witness Legacy Award for Social Purpose and Responsibility Through Art (ProArt Alliance, 2019) and was a finalist for the Emerging Digital Artists Award (EQ Bank, 2019). Hash received a B.Sc. in Computer Science, Visual Arts and Environmental Studies and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Victoria.
Eli Hirtle Bio
Eli Hirtle is a nêhiyaw(Cree)/British/German filmmaker, beadworker, youth mentor and curator based on Lekwungen Territory in Victoria, BC, Canada. His practice involves making films about Indigenous cultural resurgence and language revitalization, as well as investigating his nêhiyaw identity through beadwork. Current areas of interest are learning how to speak his ancestral language of nêhiyawêwin and mentoring emerging Indigenous artists.
Eli is currently the Indigenous Curator at Open Space Arts Society. Past curatorial projects include Sacred at Victoria City Hall, Pretty Good Not Bad Festival, IndigeVision Film Showcase, and the Wapakoni Cinema on Wheels Tour.
France Trepanier Bio
I am an artist and curator of Kanien’kehà:ka and French ancestry. Part of my family is originally from the Tio'tia:ke/Kahnawake/Châteauguay region in Quebec. I was born in the Outaouais region, on Anishinabeg territory. I come from the land of the birch bark canoe. For the past 20 years, I have been a grateful visitor and a learner on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen Speaking People and the W̱SÁNEĆ - the land of the dugout canoes. I am appreciative of the care and generosity of artists from local territories like Bradley Yuxwelupton Dick (Lekwungen) and Gerry Ambers (Namgis). The have helped me to deepen my connection to this land and to better understand the protocols, values and philosophies that inform the cultures of here.
My artistic and curatorial work has been presented in many venues in Canada, the US and Europe. My artworks are included in various public and private collections, including the Museum of Civilisation in Quebec, the Banff Centre Art Collection and The Indigenous Art Centre at CIRNAC. Over the years, I have been awarded numerous arts grants and have served on many multidisciplinary, media and visual arts juries. I was co-recipient of the 2012 Inaugural Audain Aboriginal Curatorial Fellowship at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. I co-authored with Chris Creighton-Kelly Understanding Aboriginal Art in Canada Today: a Knowledge and Literature Review. My essays and articles have been published in numerous journals and magazines.
I worked at the Canada Council for the Arts before becoming a Senior Arts Policy Advisor for the Department of Canadian Heritage. I held a diplomatic post as First Secretary, Cultural Affairs at the Canadian Embassy in Paris. I directed the Centre for New Media at the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris. I was also the co-founder and Director of the artist-run center Axe Néo-7 in Gatineau, Quebec.