Friday, July 27, 2018

    Date:
    21:00 - 00:00
    Entrée

    This event is Free/PWYC/By Donation

    Gallery 101 and ASINABKA present:
    MAKER OF MONSTERS
    The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick

    2017, Documentary, 1h 32m
    Directors: Natalie Boll, LaTiesha Ti'si'tla Fazakas 
    Screenplay: Natalie Boll, LaTiesha Ti'si'tla Fazakas 
    Producers: Natalie Boll, LaTiesha Ti'si'tla Fazakas 
    Executive producers: Natalie Boll, LaTiesha Ti'si'tla Fazakas, Randall S. Perry 
    Editor: Steve Bowyer 

    When: Friday, July 27, 9PM at Centretown Movies
    Where: Dundonald Park (512 Somerset St. W) 
     

    This event is Free/PWYC/By Donation
    No alcohol or smoking is allowed on site 
    Everyone must bring their own chair (s) 

    (Light snacks provided)
    ALL ARE WELCOME. 

    Maker of Monsters is a portrait of a Canadian art legend. He was an enigmatic carver from a small remote village on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. 

     
    Beau Dick's remarkable masks have been celebrated across the global art scene as vibrant expressions of West Coast Indigenous culture and a sophisticated crossover into the contemporary art world. Dick had an unprecedented ability to tap into the collective memory of his people and breathe new life into age-old traditions. 
      
    Maker of Monsters gives an intimate look into the life of one of Canada’s greatest artists. Beau Dick worked within an ancient tradition and rose to the ranks of international success within the white cube world of contemporary art while never forgetting his roots.  This film strives to capture the essence of Beau Dick and his mysterious enigma as an artist who symbolized Canada’s history with the First Nations and the ethical dilemmas faced in reconciling with that colonialist history. Beau was able to use his celebrity to call attention to the injustices done to his people and the environment. 
     
    Even in his activism, Beau relied on his culture to inform him how to be political. He didn’t simply stage protests; he enacted ancient ceremonies, creating a public display infused with spirituality. He challenged the Canadian government, chief-to-chief, on his own terms and by using traditional Kwakwaka’wakw political protocol, with minor adjustments for the contemporary situation. He carried out the ceremonial act of breaking a Copper and shaming the Canadian government on two occasions. First, on the steps of the Parliament Building in Victoria, BC, and then one year later on the steps of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Copper Breaking Ceremony is a spiritual and political act that had not been performed in over 100 years. 
     
    In reaching into his past, the stories of the Kwakwaka’wakw nations are also brought to the forefront; their rich history, their dramatic mythology, and the deep scars left by colonialism. Weaving together the personal and cultural until both become inseparable, Meet Beau Dick presents an artist who succeeded in reconciling the two. 

    Maker of Monsters strives to unearth the factors that made Beau who he was – his deep connection to identity, family, and community, his struggle with addiction – and like a carver chipping away at a block of wood, his story brings truth and understanding out of the woodwork. Meet Beau Dick illuminates a man whose art and life continue to transcend expectations and boundaries. 

    About Beau Dick
    Chief Beau Dick (Walas Gwa’yam), acclaimed as one of the Northwest Coast’s most versatile and talented carvers, was born in Alert Bay, BC where he lived and worked. Reaching out beyond the confines of his own Kwakwaka’wakw culture, Dick explored new formats and techniques in his work, including painting and drawing. For more than three decades, he has actively perpetuated the ceremonial traditions of his people, the Kwakwaka’wakw. He began carving at a very early age, studying under his father Benjamin Dick, his grandfather James Dick, and later under renowned artists Henry Hunt and Doug Cranmer. Beau has also worked alongside such artists as Robert Davidson, Tony Hunt and the late Bill Reid. 

    A carver who took much of his inspiration and technique from traditional Kwakwaka’wakw art, Beau’s work has been particularly noted for its embrace of contemporary influences, often incorporating European and Asian styles into his creations. His masks in particular have been lauded for their rough yet realistic presentation, representing a piece that is both austere yet incredibly life-like. www.makerofmonsters.ca

    This event takes place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation. 

    Gallery 101 is committed to accessibility. Please contact us by email: office@g101.ca or phone 613-230-2799 to let us know about your access needs. 

    For more info about G101: www.g101.ca 
    For more info about ASINABKA: www.asinabkafestival.org

    Or contact: office@g101.ca or leave a message at 613-230-2799

    Gallery 101 gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council (an agency of the government of Ontario), and the Canada Council for the Arts. Gallery 101 thanks the Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival, our members, volunteers, partners, and all our relations.