Derived from an Anishinaabegmowin concept, Gwaaba’ibii is the first edition of the Winnipeg Indigenous Triennial. The exhibition will be tri-national, sharing artwork from Turtle Island, Australia, and New Zealand
In Anishinaabe culture, women are traditional water carriers and givers of life, thus the concept to draw water and narratives on an international level. Indigenous peoples continue to be profoundly linked to water for physical and spiritual wellbeing, as stewards of the rivers, lakers, streams, and oceans that have an impact on the health and bodies of communities, and our relationship to the natural world.
Water has become a pressing concern for the larger global community. Unclean drinking water, the rapid melting of polar ice caps, and chemically contaminated lakes are just a few examples of the catastrophic effects of climate change. To Draw Water will celebrate Indigenous artists who expose the significance of this environmental impact through their work.
Qaumajuq is the new name for the Inuit art centre, meaning “it is bright, it is lit” in Inuktitut.