School of Art

. . . a story in the middle . . .

April 1 to May 14, 2021 | Curated by Blair Fornwald

Catherine Blackburn, Lucien Durey, melannie monoceros, Audie Murray

In medias res, Latin for “in the midst of things,” is a literary device wherein a story opens mid-plot. Dropped abruptly into a pivotal scene, the reader pieces together backstory and gets to know characters through flashbacks and dialogue. We live in medias res, learning how and why and who we are relationally – through the people, places, and things in our orbit, and through the stories contained within them.

By incorporating found and gifted materials, recreating and referencing significant spaces and objects, and utilizing techniques passed down through generations, the artists in a story in the middle explore how traditions, skills, values, sensibilities, and sensitivities are inherited and carried forward. The handmade object is a conduit for conversations between ancestors and descendants, loved ones and strangers. Here, Catherine Blackburn, Lucien Durey, melannie monoceros, and Audie Murray use handmade objects to articulate, with crystalline specificity, the nuanced complexities of their family relationships and histories.

Curatorial Essay: fragments from the lost home

Video: Exhibition Tour: ...a story in the middle...

…story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
…story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
…story in the middle…, 2021. Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba.
…story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Catherine Blackburn, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Audie Murray, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Audie Murray, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
melannie monoceros, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
melannie monoceros, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Lucien Durey, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Lucien Durey, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Lucien Durey, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
Catherine Blackburn, …story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  
…story in the middle…, Photographer: Karen Asher. Courtesy of the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba  

Photo Documentation by Karen Asher

Artists

Catherine Blackburn

Catherine Blackburn was born in Patuanak Saskatchewan, of Dene and European ancestry and is a member of the English River First Nation. She is a multidisciplinary artist and jeweller, whose common themes explore Indigenous sovereignty, decolonization and representation, often prompted by personal narratives. Her practice focuses primarily on the mediums of beadwork, sculpture and wearable work. Blackburn’s work has been presented in exhibitions and fashion runways both nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of the Melissa Levin Emerging Artist Award, a 2019 Sobey Art Award longlist nominee, and most recently, one of five artists selected for the prestigious Eitlejorg Contemporary Art Fellowship.

Lucien Durey

Lucien Durey is an artist, writer, and singer based in Vancouver, Canada. His performative works engage with collections, found objects and ephemera and he has exhibited and performed nationally. He holds a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and an MFA from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.

melannie monoceros

melannie monoceros is a poet and interdisciplinary artist exploring polysensory production and somatic grief through text/ile. Their work considers the collective qrip (queer+crip) consciousness by connecting to marvelous bodies living with complexity as sick or disabled. A Black, Taino, Arawak creator (Xamayca), they live in Treaty 1, Winnipeg, Manitoba. melannie is the recipient of a JRG Emerging Artist Award and they have performed, published and presented work nationally, recently at Plug In ICA, Gallery 1C03, the Window Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.

Audie Murray

Audie Murray is a multi-disciplinary Michif artist raised and working in Regina, Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory. Her practice explores themes of duality, connectivity, healing and growth. Working with specific materials, Murray reclaims and work through subjects related to the body, space, and relationships. She holds a visual arts diploma from Camosun College (2016) and a BFA from the University of Regina (2017) and is an MFA student at the University of Calgary. She has exhibited widely, including at the Alberta Art Gallery, The Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Anchorage Museum. Murray is represented by Fazakas Gallery, Vancouver.

Events

Lucien Durey and melannie monoceros: A screening, a reading, and a discussion
Thursday, April 22, 2021