Meryl McMaster’s exhibit Bloodlines, which is running now at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), blends aspects of her Dutch/Scottish ancestry with her Plains Cree/Métis lineage, taking the form of an imaginative series of breathtaking photos bolstered by historical documents and culturally resonant sculptures.
AGGV chief curator Steven McNeil says that the idea for the exhibit started with one piece the gallery already possessed.
“When I got to Victoria, I started going through the collection… and we had acquired a work from Meryl when she was quite a young artist. It’s hung right now in our permanent collection, [so] she was on the radar for me as somebody that the AGGV could be proud of supporting throughout her career who has really gone onto great things,” says McNeil. “It felt like a natural thing for us to keep working with her and to take this exhibition.”
I took a wander to see the exhibit for myself. Bloodlines, which is mostly photographs and some videography, is beautifully personal and self-reflective but still remains very relatable. Most of the works feature the artist herself as the subject; they reference her own personal history and the histories of her matrilineal ancestors. Women in her family have struggled and achieved a lot in the face of horrendous colonial systems. A letter written by an ancestor fossilizes this.
“That letter is such a big part of the show,” says McNeil, “and there’s so much power and grace within that letter, where she ends it by extending an olive branch and saying, ‘I’ve gone through all of this, I’ve been given nothing.’”
There are three photographs that reference McMaster’s mixed Scottish/Indigenous ancestry, where she has Tartan incorporated into her regalia; she went to Newfoundland to take those photos. The geographical beauty is similar to Scotland.
“For me, the message is that in looking to your own past, in thinking of your own inherited trauma and inherited knowledge, it all falls into becoming part of who you are,” says McNeil.
McNeil says that he hopes the exhibit brings a more nuanced understanding of Indigenous peoples in Canada. He says that McMaster is a great example of somebody who transcends origins.
“Our identities are complex, and we can anchor ourselves anywhere we choose to make a home,” he says. “A lot of Canadians can relate to that.”
Bloodlines
Until Sunday, October 19
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
aggv.ca