Jerry Evans: Mimajuaqne’kati | Place of Life
Mimajuaqne’kati | Place of Life is a solo exhibition presenting prints and video by Mi’kmaw and settler visual artist Jerry Evans. Incorporating elements of L’nu visual culture and archival photographs of ancestors, Evans’ work considers the inter-territorial relationships between the Beothuk and the Mi’kmaq in Ktaqmkuk. It also explores themes related to social amnesia, interruption, and the survivance of Indigenous life and histories in what is colonially known as Newfoundland and Labrador. The exhibition honours life cycles and relations in Ktaqmkuk, and more broadly within Mi’kma’ki, Wabanaki Territory, and beyond.
About the Artist
Jerry Evans is a Mi’kmaw and settler artist born in central Newfoundland. In 1986 he graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He completed an Education Degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and has been a practicing visual artist for over thirty years. Primarily a painter and printmaker, Evans is also a multimedia artist who has worked in film, has and reclaimed traditional hand poke tattoo as a means of expression and gift exchange, and has created regalia for his own Mawiomi dancing for more than a decade. Evans coordinated and was principal researcher for the 1996 exhibition, FIRST: Aboriginal Artists of Newfoundland and Labrador, which presented works by Indigenous artists in Newfoundland and Labrador to provincial audiences and worked for many years as shop technician and master printer at St. Michael’s Printshop in St. John’s. Evans was included in the 2023 Bonavista Biennale, and recently launched a retrospective of his work through The Rooms titled, Weljesi, curated by Jenelle Duval. This retrospective includes a substantial catalogue, and the exhibition will tour outside the province starting in 2025. His artwork has been exhibited across Canada and internationally and is included in private and public collections across the country. He has been an Artist-in-Residence in Canada and Ireland, has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, and is working to develop and deepen his collaborative creative practice and work with communities.
Meet Emily Critch, Adjunct Curator
Accessibility
The exhibition contains two videos with sound. The audio includes piano and singing, the whistle of wind, and the crunch of feet walking on hard-packed snow.
The videos are on view in the Highwall Gallery on the main floor. The main floor of the Owens is wheelchair accessible. The stairs to the Owens from the entrance nearest the University Chapel have a handrail. There is also ramp access at this entrance, however, the ramp is steep. The stairs to the Owens entrance off York Street also have a handrail, but there is no ramp. Find more information at owensartgallery.com/visit/accessibility/
Top Image: Jerry Evans, Mimajuaqne’kati — Place of Life, 2019, lithograph, edition 20/30, Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Purchased with funds from the Ruth Lockhart Eisenhauer Art Fund
