lii zoot tayr

lii zoot tayr (Other Worlds)

Lii Zoot Tayr (Other Worlds)
Co-curated by Amy Malbeuf and Jessie Ray Short

AGNES Ethertington Art Centre, Kingston, ON
June 19 –August 8, 2021

AGYU (Art Gallery of York University)
13 May – 9 July 2022

my children, my mother, her mother and their mother, and their mother, and theirmother, and their mother..... nitawasimisak, nikawiy, okawiya ekwa okawiwawa, okawiyiwa, ekwa okawiyiwa ekwa okawiyiwa…..
Woven reflective mylar
2021

Exhibition Note (linked):

Other Worlds is the third in a series of exhibitions organized by Amy Malbeuf and Jessie Ray Short exploring the work of Métis artists. In this iteration, the artists—Malbeuf, Suzanne Morrissette, Tannis Nielsen, Tiffany Shaw-Collinge, and Short—ground themselves within and move beyond the earth and solar system to ruminate on outer, inner and deep space. With a particular focus on the ethereality of science and technology, the artists examine their relationships to unseen forces and concepts of spirit and in/visibility. The fundamental forms of energy, such as electricity, and physical forces, such as gravity, determine the observable structure of the universe. Everyone has an electromagnetic field around them. It exists around all beings and all things, and yet, it is difficult to perceive (most of the time). We are bound together by these forces, even if the mechanisms by which they are believed to function are not completely understood.

Artwork Concept:

This knitted work addresses the grief, trauma, love and wisdom that passes from one generation to the next. While each new row becomes looser, it is still connected. With each new birth we aim to move differently in order to achieve space and distance from trauma, though we cannot fully abandon the network. My mother knitted for months after my father passed. I will continue to do the work.

This piece is related to a series of mylar works regarding veiled relationships —including relationships with the environment, such as building systems (perceived invisible forces such as heating or cooling); relationships to each other (for those who are here or those who have passed); and a relationship to yourself (such as the importance of your own visibility). The mirrored reflection that this material offers can be understood in a multitude of ways, though its main intent is to bring in light along with an acknowledgment of the precarious weightlessness in your environment

Photo: Agnes Etherington Art Centre (top 4) AGYU (bottom 2)