Power and Peace: In Conversation with Faye HeavyShield

The Art of Faye HeavyShield travelled to Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) from the Nickle Galleries in Calgary. CUAG’s iteration of this retrospective exhibition, organized by the MacKenzie Art Gallery, however, has a unique homage and connection to Ottawa. HeavyShield’s history with Ottawa began with the exhibiting of her work at Victoria Henry’s Ufundi Gallery in the early 1980s. Later, in 1992, her work was featured in the groundbreaking exhibition, Land, Spirit, Power: First Nations at the National Gallery at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). Special to CUAG’s presentation is the inclusion of five works from John Cook’s collection, including fort belly and untitled, a call back to Land, Spirit, Power.

To enter Faye HeavyShield’s retrospective The Art of Faye HeavyShield is to be enveloped in a presence of peace and power. In the lower level of the Carleton University Art Gallery viewers are introduced to fort belly (1992), a low, rotund ochre sculpture armoured in spikes. HeavyShield remarked on the sculpture’s vulnerability at the opening for the show, and one can feel that sense when observing the work - the roundness of the apex of the sculpture suggests the soft sphere of pregnancy, evoking a protective mother. While open to interpretation, HeavyShield notes that it alludes to the pregnancy and potential of the land. 

Faye HeavyShield, fort belly, 1992, wood, molding compound, wire acrylic. Collection of John Cook. Photo by Justin Wonnacott.

The theme of nature continues throughout the show, particularly in the striking juxtaposition of kutoyis (2004) and slivers (2010). Installed on opposite walls of the lower gallery, these installations act as a powerful mirror of one another. kutoyis is composed of a striking red stripe marked with a plethora of small cloth bundles representing blood clots, alluding to the origin of the legendary warrior for which the piece is named. slivers on the opposite wall, is a delicate paper waterfall created by a myriad of waterways photographed by the artist. This work is the result of fifteen years of HeavyShield’s exploration of river systems across Canada, including the Saint John and Old Man rivers. The piece highlights both the fragility and incredible power of our water systems, and the dependency of our life upon them. This link of life dependency is strengthened in the juxtaposition of these two works opposite each other; two rivers flowing that our bodies depend upon for existence.

Faye HeavyShield, kutoyis, 2004, installation, courtesy of the artist. Photo by Justin Wonnacott.

Faye HeavyShield, slivers (detail), 2010, installation, courtesy of the artist. Photo by Justin Wonnacott.

Of all the works on display, perhaps the most breathtaking is Aapaskaiyaawa (They Are Dancing) (2002), which hangs at the end of the lower gallery. As you approach the installation the figures sway in response to your movement, a soft whisper inviting you to join the dance. These figures, which HeavyShield refers to as spectors, are discussed further in my conversation with the artist below. In February, HeavyShield generously offered to host me for a walk-through of the retrospective while she was in process of installation with her two of her children, Henry and Hali HeavyShield. We had this conversation a few weeks after the opening, and you can sense the warmth and humour that Faye radiates, and that comes across in her work.

Installation of wave, 2018 at Carleton University Art Gallery. Photo by Jessica Endress.

JE: How did you approach this retrospective? 

FS: I didn’t really approach it, I was approached by the curator. It wasn’t really something I had considered, but when it was brought up, she did all the planning for it. I didn’t have a part in choosing it, it wasn't necessarily a dream of mine. 

JE: What was it like returning to Ottawa to show this retrospective years after your involvement in the monumental Land, Spirit, Power exhibition at the NGC?

FS: Well I had been back to Ottawa a few times since then, but of course this was a celebration because of the people that I saw again and that’s what made it special. Of course my family being there, and then seeing friends, even though we don’t really stay in touch all the time, seeing people that I knew from back then. 

JE: I’m struck in particular by the juxtaposition of the two works kutoyis and slivers, and their positioning across from each other. How did this show transform through installation in this space? 

FS: Each venue for this retrospective was quite different, and the one before this, which was at the Nickle Galleries in Calgary [exemplifies this]. I reconnected with the curator, just a few days ago just to catch up and say “Hi,” and I told her that what I came to realize is that the Nickle Galleries were a good challenge for the works, especially [the need to have] more than one work as a grouping. So the experience that I had there, it energizes you, and when you're met with the challenge [of] “‘what goes where in this space,?” [and] getting acquainted with the space – it’s quite refreshing because it’s almost like you’re going through that whole art process again, because you’re right in the mix of all those considerations you had when you were working on the piece [through] putting them in the gallery. Going to Carleton, I think it would have been… more… I don’t know what the word is, but because of the previous thought processes that took place in other venues, I was prepared for those negotiations. 

Faye HeavyShield, kutoyis (detail), 2004, installation, courtesy of the artist. Photo by Justin Wonnacott.

JE: I have to say I love Aapaskaiyaawa (They Are Dancing) so much, their movement is stunning and I immediately felt beckoned to join the dance. How did these figures come to you? 

FS: There’s not really any specific [way]. These ideas, like anything else that I’ve made, they come from sources such as family, community, environment, language. Those are the things that have always inspired me and motivated me. For that particular work though, it was quite specifically about the sense of the strength in the family that I know, in my parents and grandparents, just imagining the people that came before them. I never witnessed any anger or despair at difficulties they faced, but there was such a grace in the way that they lived and carried themselves. Those are the people that I knew personally and then I imagined the ones that came before, so it was a tribute to them. 

Faye HeavyShield and Alexandra Kahsenni:io Nahwegahbow at Carleton University Art Gallery’s opening of The Art of Faye Heavyshield with Aapaskaiyaawa (They Are Dancing), 2002, in the background. Photo by Jessica Endress.

JE: You have this wonderful collaborative relationship with your children through their involvement in the installation of your work, and then of course they both have their own arts practice. When did your children begin to get involved and interested in your art practice? 

FS: Well, they didn’t really have a choice because they grew up surrounded by my activity. Especially Hali and Henry, Hali was still going to daycare when I was going to the art college. Years later, when Henry came along, it was already around him. Especially since I’ve never really had a studio outside of the home, and so it’s not like we sit and we talk art, it’s just there… [a] ‘pass the salt’ kind of thing. Not something highlighted–I would say for the most part I lead a very ordinary life, but part of that life is that I make art. For me, I don’t stop and say “oh now I’m going to do this,” it’s still part of this ordinary life but I’m able to have these experiences making it. [It’s] not a spectacular [event]...that they had a revelation…that their mum’s an artist. If your mum was a doctor or a teacher. [With] family within the home, they don’t need to pay attention to it–it’s there and it’s part of their lives.

JE: Looking back on your prolific career, is there a particular moment or work that you are especially fond or proud of?

FS: Whatever I’m working on at the time. Each one is such a specific experience, and I get something each time, from each work. It’s almost like asking who your favourite child is, I’m not going to say…. Not fair! 

The Art of Faye HeavyShield is on view at the Carleton University Art Gallery until 21 April, 2024, the exhibition was curated by Felicia Gay, and organized and circulated by the Mackenzie Art Gallery.