Make-Up of a Bird - Agnes Etherington Art Centre Agnes Etherington Art Centre

Beam, Carl

Make-Up of a Bird Composition d'un oiseau
around 1979 1983

A raven partially dissected, a redheaded woodpecker splayed for inspection, diagrammatic renderings of a heart, a Muybridge-style galloping elk, and meaningless technical legales – these ghost-like symbols and words invoke the Western scientific practice of quantifying and measuring the natural world, a precondition for colonialism that devalued Indigenous knowledge systems. With a slashing “X” stroke (reminiscent of Ojibwe four directions), Beam negates this practice and exerts the spiritual dimensions of these symbols. In subsequent work, he repeatedly returned to these and other images to present complex constellations of meaning.

Artist Artiste

Beam, Carl

Artist Dates Naissance/décès de l'artiste

M'Chigeeng First Nation 1943-M'Chigeeng First Nation 2005 M'Chigeeng First Nation 1943-M'Chigeeng First Nation 2005

Title Titre

Make-Up of a Bird Composition d'un oiseau

Date Date

around 1979 1983

Category Collection

Indigenous; Canadian Historical Art Autochtone; Art canadien ancien

Medium Technique d’expression

Watercolour on handmade paper Aquarelle sur papier fait à la main

Dimensions Dimensions

87.0 x 67.3 cm

Credit Line Mention de source

Gift of Jane Bisch in memory of her husband, Lance Bisch, 2013 Don de Jane Bisch à la mémoire de son époux Lance Bisch, 2013

Accession Number Numéro d'acquisition

56-016.02

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