Jeffrey M. Thomas

Canadian/Iroquois (born in U.S.A.), b. 1956

Folded Arms at Winnipeg Railroad Yard, from the series Indians on Tour, 2005

C-print on paper, 1/15

40.8 x 55.8 cm Image: 35 x 50.3 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from The Winnipeg Art Gallery Foundation Kathleen M. Richardson Fund and with funds from the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance program/Oeuvre achetée avec l’aide du programme d’aide aux acquisitions du Conseil des Arts du Canada

2008-118

Categories:

Photograph, Photography

A member of the Onondaga tribe of Six Nations in Ontario, Jeffrey Thomas lives in Ottawa, Ontario, and identifies himself as an urban Iroquois. He is known for his studies of “Indianness” through which he challenges the presence, absence, and position of First Nations people in relation to Canadian historical monuments. This piece is from his series Indians on Tour, which was inspired by a gift he received of stereotypical “Indian” figurines. The artist began experimenting with the toys by posing them in his everyday world. The results have produced an important body of work that continues the artist’s trajectory of recontextualizing historical images, while at the same time dismantling stereotypical representations of First Nations people.