- Latcham Art Centre recently opened “Relative Gradient,” a new exhibition showcasing quillwork by Lenape and Potawatomi artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher.
- “Relative Gradient” comprises artworks that push the boundaries of contemporary quillwork, reimagining the surface embroidery technique into textile design and vinyl imagery, Latcham’s website explains.
- “Taken together, these works build on Vanessa’s continued exploration of what it means to live in an Indigenous, gendered body with a neurodiverse mind,” the site explains.
- The artist has executed many of these works alongside her interest in communication, which stems from a lack of access to her own Indigenous languages and her experiences as an individual with a learning disability.
- “Reflecting on an Indigenous feminist body with a neurodiverse mind, I create art using composite media, primarily working in performance, textiles and video,” Dion Fletcher explains in her artist statement. “I employ porcupine quills, Wampum belts, and menstrual blood to reveal the complexities of what defines a body physically and culturally.”
- Vanessa Dion Fletcher will be accompanied by curator Tyler Durbano for an Artist Talk at Latcham on Thursday, September 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission to the event is free.
- Latcham Art Centre is situated within the Leisure Centre at 2 Park Drive. The exhibition will be open for viewing until Saturday, October 14.
