Joi T. Arcand Neon Installation Pimiciwan Pimatisowin at the NGV Triennial

Joi T. Arcand media installation pimiciwan pimatisowin at the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial, Australia

Joi T. Arcand’s new media installation pimiciwan pimatisowin 2020 marks the first time a Cree contemporary artist has had their work enter the NGV Collection.

Featuring a blue neon sign set back into a wall cavity, the work draws attention to the loss of Indigenous languages in Canada by creating a hyper visible sign using Cree syllabics. Arcand uses this approach to declare that the language wasn’t ‘lost’, but was instead taken, and Cree people are now here to reclaim it.

The work will resonate powerfully in Australia where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people share a similar history with regard to loss of language and culture by way of colonisation.

Sometimes Arcand intentionally does not provide translations for her work so as not to give audiences the immediate satisfaction of understanding the word. Instead, she forces them to take the time to look up the word and learn some Cree language on the way.

For NGV Triennial, Arcand has decided to provide a translation of the Cree language used – her neon sign translates roughly to ‘the flow of life’.

Joi T Arcand solo exhibition ᑿᔭᐢᐠ ᐅᑌᐦᑕᒼ at Central Art Garage in 2020