Nadia Myre

Nadia Myre (born 1974) is a contemporary visual artist from Québec and an Algonquin member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinaabeg First Nation, who lives and works in Montréal. For over a decade, her multi-disciplinary practice has been inspired by participant involvement as well as recurring themes of identity, language, longing and loss.[1] Of the artist, Canadian Art Magazine writes, "Nadia Myre’s work weaves together complex histories of Aboriginal identity, nationhood, memory and handicraft, using beadwork techniques to craft exquisite and laborious works."[2]

Nadia Myre
Born1974
Montréal, Tiohtià:ke, Québec, Canada
Education
AwardsSobey Art Award
2014
Websitehttp://www.nadiamyre.net/

Myre is one of the co-founders of daphne, the first Indigenous artist-run centre in Québec, along with Skawennati, Caroline Monnet, and Hannah Claus.[3]

Education

Myre graduated from Camosun College (1995), completing a Fine Art associate degree. She graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design (1997), completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). She earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Concordia University (2002).[1][4]

Works and exhibitions

She has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions including, "Cont[r]act" at Oboro, Montréal (2002),[5] "Skin Tissue" at the National Museum of American Indian, New York (2010), Tout ce que reste - Scattered Remains at Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal/The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2018).[6][7] Myre has also participated in many notable group shows including; "The American West" at Compton Verny Gallery, London, United Kingdom;[8] "All Our Relations" for the 2012 Sydney Biennale, Cockatoo Island, Sydney, Australia;[9] and "Social Factory" for the Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, China.[10]

A trilogy of works by Myre were commissioned for Pimisi station of the Ottawa O-Train: Pimisi/eel, woven basket, and birch forest fence. They were unveiled in 2019.


"Indian Act"

Inspired by her mother's own story of reclaiming her Native Status,[11] Myre created "Indian Act," in reference to Canada's federal Indian Act of 1876. The piece uses beadwork to recreate all 56 pages of the statute. With red beads representing the negative space of the page, and white beads representing the typed words,[12] the piece creates a visual which Canadian Art called "immensely successful."[2] The final work "reappropriated and denounced this artifact of colonialism."[11] The work also has a strong collaborative element, as Myre enlisted the help of over 200 people[12] to aid in the completion of the beadwork. Beadwork was more traditionally regarded as a women's art form, but Myre invited men, non-Aboriginal, and others to contribute.[13] The piece was part of the 2002 exhibition "Cont[r]act."[14] It was also featured in the book "Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art."[15]

The Scar Project

In 2004, Myre started The Scar Project. Begun as a personal exploration of her own scars, the project grew into a cooperative endeavor.[16] She organized workshops for people to create their own scar canvases and write their personal stories. Participants are invited to sew their ‘scars’, metaphorical or literal, onto piece of 10″ square canvas and share the story of how they got hurt, by whom, and who they hurt and how.[17] The Scar Project includes contributions by more than 1,400 people from Canada, the United States and Australia gathered over eight years.[18]

"Portrait in Motion"

In this video (2002, mini DV transferred to DVD), Myre can be seen paddling a canoe on a lake. The video has been described as “elusive, metaphorical union of past, present, nature, culture and soul” and "appropriates the stereotype of the Indian living in harmony with nature and lets a woman emerge from the mist, in total control of her boat, of her life".[13][4][19]

Awards and recognition

Myre is a recipient of numerous awards. She is a recipient of the Banff Centre for Arts Walter Phillips Gallery Indigenous Commission Award (2016) as well as the Sobey Art Award (2014), Canada's largest award for young artists. She was also nominated for the award in 2011, 2012 and 2013.[12][20][21] Myre is also the recipient of the Pratt & Whitney Canada's ‘Les Elles de l’art’ for the Conseil des arts de Montréal (2011), Quebec Arts Council's "Prix à la création artistique pour la region des Laurentides" (2009), and a Fellowship from the Eiteljorg Museum (2003).[2][22]

She has received accolades from the New York Times,[23] Le Monde, The Washington Post,[24] Le Devoir,[25][26][27] and has been featured in ARTnews, American Craft Magazine, ETC, Parachute, Canadian Art,[12][28] C Magazine, Monopol, and ESSE.

In 2012, she became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.[29][30]

References
  1. "About". Nadia Myre. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  2. "Nadia Myre". Canadian Art. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. Dunlevy, T'Cha (2020-11-19). "Introducing daphne, Montreal's first Indigenous artist-run centre". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  4. "Myre, Nadia", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford Art Online, 2017
  5. "2001-2002 Season". Oboro. Oboro. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  6. "HIDE: Skin as Material and Metaphor". nmai.si. National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  7. "Nadia Myre". The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  8. "The American West". Compton Verney. The Compton Verney Gallery. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  9. "18th Biennale of Sydney (2012)". Biennale of Sydney. Biennale of Sydney. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  10. "Social Factory". Biennale Foundation. Biennale Foundation. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  11. "Nadia Myre". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  12. "Nadia Myre Wins $50K Sobey Art Award - Canadian Art". Canadian Art. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  13. Tougas, Colette. "The Truly Made Things of Nadia Myre" (PDF). maclarenart.com. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  14. "Indian Act | Art Mur". artmur.com. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  15. Hill, Greg A; Hopkins, Candice; Lalonde, Christine; National Gallery of Canada (2013-01-01). Sakahàn: international indigenous art. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada. ISBN 9780888849120. OCLC 822646597.
  16. "Scar Tissue". National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  17. Myre, Nadia. "The Scar Project". Art Mur.
  18. Mclaughlin, Bryne. "4 Questions for Sobey Winner Nadia Myre". Canadian Art. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  19. "Nadia Myre". Nadiamyre.net.
  20. "Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity commissions new video work by Indigenous artist Nadia Myre". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  21. "Conseil des Arts de Montréal - Les Prix Pratt & Whitney Canada du Conseil des arts de Montréal décernés à Nadia Myre et Thomas Kneubühler". www.artsmontreal.org. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  22. "Nadia Myre". Art Mur. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  23. Johnson, Ken (June 20, 2008). "Beyond Stereotypes: 21st-Century Indian Artists". New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  24. Gopnik, Blake (October 10, 2010). "New 'Vantage Point' show at American Indian museum shows off symbolic power". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  25. Delgado, Jerome (June 20, 2008). "Exposition - Mohawks, Cheyennes, Algonquins... et artistes". Le Devoir. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  26. Delgado, Jerome (June 5, 2014). "Nadia Myre, dernière Québécoise en lice pour le Sobey". Le Devoir. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  27. Delgado, Jerome (November 20, 2014). "Nadia Myre reçoit le prix Sobey". Le Devoir. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  28. McLaughlin, Byrne (December 12, 2014). "4 Questions for Sobey Prize Winner Nadia Myre". Canadian Art. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  29. "Nadia Myre". Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  30. "New Members". Canadian Academy of Arts. The Canadian Academy of Arts. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
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