Ghostkeeper

On Main and grunt gallery partnered to present a group exhibition of artists responding to two works from grunt’s archive by Âhasiw Maskêgon-Iskwêw: Speaking the Language of Spiders—a net art project from 1997 and White Shame—a performance from 1992. In response to Speaking the Language of Spiders, Cheryl L’Hirondelle created an audio work and Archer Pechawis, in collaboration with Sheila Urbanoski, created a website. Adrian Stimson and Elwood Jimmy performed works in reference to White Shame. In addition to these newly created pieces, the original works by Âhasiw were presented as part of the exhibition, including a fresh edit of White Shame. Ghostkeeper is the first major look back at the extraordinary art practice of Âhasiw Maskêgon-Iskwêw (1958-2006). Âhasiw was among the first Indigenous artists in Canada to work in performance and the internet. Âhasiw Maskêgon-Iskwêw's work as a curator, producer, and writer laid important groundwork for Indigenous artists in these fields. He is an important voice in the development of these media within Indigenous communities and beyond. The exhibition was launched with an opening reception that also included an artist talk with Cheryl L’Hirondelle; an online artist talk with Archer Pechawis and Sheila Urbanoski; a panel discussion with Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Archer Pechawis, Adrian Stimson, and Elwood Jimmy, moderated by Glenn Alteen; and a performance by Adrian Stimson.