How Humour Cuts Through Tragedy for This Indigenous Artist

Описание: First Nations artist Joseph Tisiga opens up about why he's exploring his Indigenous identity with a sense of humour.

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Kaska Dene artist Joseph Tisiga started making art as a skateboarding teen living in Winnipeg. He didn't grow up exposed to art, but he eventually discovered that it was a great avenue for him to explore his roots. Now, he's based in Whitehorse, where he regularly works with watercolour, oil and mixed media.

Much of Tisiga's work deals with not only his own Indigenous identity but with the stereotypes and tropes imposed on it. Satire and humour play a large role in his practice.

"Humour can cut through really serious and tragic realities," Tisiga says. "Reality is complicated and I think that using satire can sometimes address those complications and not moralize an issue."
His conceptual project Indian Brand Corporation, which has appeared in his artwork over the last decade, features Archie characters, Hudson Bay blankets and cigar store Indians as a means for Tisiga to explore Indigenous iconography.

In this video, step into Tisiga's Whitehorse studio to hear him talk about his own history and how it's informed the work he's still making.

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How Humour Cuts Through Tragedy for This Indigenous Artist   / cbcarts