Wanna Trade Belts? by Dominic Lafontaine

White Water Gallery is pleased to present Wanna Trade Belts? a multimedia exhibition by Algonquin artist Dominic Lafontaine running from May 31 to July 27, 2024. There will be a reception on Friday, May 31, from 7 to 9 pm that will include a talk by the artist.

Initially created for the Mnemonic exhibition (Nov 2023 – Jan 2024) at the Centre d’art daphne in Montreal, Wanna Trade Belts? is a digital art exhibition that explores the theme of Wampum in the era of Artificial Intelligence. Using Style GAN tools, the artist wanted to integrate the notion of traditional wampum with that of the future to then develop a new model of Indigenous graphic art.

Dominic Lafontaine is an Algonquin multimedia artist, essayist, poet and musician currently based in Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Quebec. His audacious, humorous and often absurd artworks explore the very notions of cultural identity and belonging. A graduate of Visual Arts at Ottawa University, he synthesizes his knowledge of traditional art forms with new media in order to redefine the visual language of contemporary native art.
His motto: «Research, remix and repeat!»

Learn more about the artist and his work here.

Artist Talk with Kim Kitchen

Join us on Zoom for an artist talk with Kim Kitchen on Wednesday, May 8 at 7 pm! Kim has just returned from a residency at the Iris Art Centre in the countryside of Greece. Hear about Kim’s travels and the experience of her residency time. Click here https://bit.ly/wwgartisttalk or email info@whitewatergallery.com to register for the event and receive the Zoom link.

Some words from the artist:

Having recently returned from the countryside in Greece watching the sun rise daily accompanied by cows, goats and the sounds of metal bells, roosters in the distance, birds singing of Spring’s arrival and the hills alive with green growth after being decimated two years ago by fire. The warm hospitality of Iris Art Centre that immediately felt like home, comforts met with everything accessible and the meals so lovingly prepared from farm to table.

Iris Art Centre provided a concentrated work period with the opportunity to research and develop my artistic practice with the support of an art coaching program to explore one’s internal realms. Focus, direction, guidance, care, consideration and uninterrupted time to engage in the development of my practice. Annette’s daily methodology provided clarity, a pathway that lit up prompting a deep dive in the retrieval of my visual language.

Annette you who are a birch tree, able to withstand the winds, bending so beautifully to recognize and meet the needs of residency participants is truly a gift. Your honouring of individual process, your unwavering flexibility for what will work best day to day, I sincerely appreciate and admire. Deep gratitude Sister for tending to this most important work!

My wanderings about Greece In Search of She – standing before female archetypes that embody the Divine. She who upholds the rites of the natural world, her powerful presence from the long ago most relevant for this day. The excavations and artifacts of the Bronze and Neolithic Age, the earliest of marble figurines among other prestige items have re-charged me with possibility and strength.

www.kimkitcheninthestudio.com

www.irisartcentre.com