Artist Talk: Marianne Nicolson

K’AK’AKWAMA –

THE FIREWEED: AN ARTIST TALK BY MARIANNE NICOLSON

December 13, 2018, 6-7 pm

1111 Nu’uanu Ave. Suite 210/211

Honolulu, HI 96813

Fireweed, having a preference for disturbed soil, tends to appear and multiply after fires or logging. Its root systems can act as a stabilizer, initiating recovery of ecosystems. Is there a similar stabilizer in the human and cultural environment after massive disturbance such as those imposed by the Canadian Government on Indigenous Peoples. In 2018, the Dzawada'enuxw launched an aboriginal title and rights case against the courts to protect their lands and waters from further industry encroachment after 150 years of one-sided negotiation and ultimate negation of their rights by the Federal and Provincial Governments.Through historical research and artistic expression Nicolson seeks to share the Dzawada’enuxw Nation’s story of injustice, resilience and restitution. 

Marianne Nicolson is an artist activist of Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations and Scottish descent.The Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw Nations are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwak’wala speaking peoples) of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Nicolson is trained in traditional Kwakwaka’wakw forms and culture with a contemporary gallery and museum based practice. Nicolson works as a cultural researcher and historian for the Kwakwaka’wakw and is an advocate for Indigenous land rights. Her practice is multi-disciplinary encompassing photography, painting, carving, video, installation, monumental public art, writing and speaking. All her work is political in nature and seeks to uphold Kwakwaka’wakw traditional philosophy and worldview through contemporary mediums and technology. Exhibitions include the 17thBiennale of Sydney, Australia; The Vancouver Art Gallery, The National Museum of the American Indian in New York; Nuit Blanche in Toronto, Ontario and many others. Major monumental public artworks are situated in the Vancouver International Airport; the Canadian Embassy in Amman, Jordan and the Canadian Embassy in Paris, France. Nicolson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (1996), a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria (2005), and a Master of Arts and PhD in Linguistics and Anthropology from the University of Victoria (2013).