Artist Talk: Skawennati

In this artist talk, Skawennati will discuss some of her key works over the years, as well as recent projects such as her inclusion in Encoded, an unsanctioned, virtual, group exhibition at The Met, and the reintegration of quilting into her practice.

Seating is first-come, first-served and everyone is welcome. 

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Skawennati investigates history, the future, and change from her perspective as an urban Kanien’kehá:ka woman and as a cyberpunk avatar. Her artistic practice questions our relationships with technology and highlights Indigenous people in the future. Her machinimas and machinimagraphs (movies and still images made in virtual environments), textiles and sculpture have been presented internationally and collected by the National Gallery of Canada, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montreal and the Thoma Foundation, among others.

Recipient of a 2022 Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions Grant and an Honorary Doctorate from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, she is also a founding board member of daphne, Montreal’s first Indigenous artist-run centre. She co-founded and co-directs Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC), a research-creation studio-lab based at Concordia University, where she received her BFA. Originally from Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory, Skawennati lives and works in Montreal.

Conversations in Contemporary Art is a free event series sponsored by Concordia University's Studio Arts MFA Program. The series provides a unique opportunity to hear artists, designers, critics, writers, educators, and curators share their practice(s) and perspectives. 

This series is made possible through the generous support of Lillian and Billy Mauer.