Eyes of the World:
David Neel, born in 1960, is a professional photographer as well as a hereditary Kwakwaka'wakw artist. He works in a number of mediums including wood sculpture, photography, printmaking, and painting. He specializes in traditional mask about contemporary history, and photography of people for c...
| Other Authors: | |
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| Format: | Still Image |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1990
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| Subjects: |
Resistance to
> Art
> Political aspects
> Political violence in art
> Indigenous art
> Kwakiutl art
> Art
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| Online Access: | https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/cc%3A114/datastream/JP2/download http://viaf.org/viaf/57683241/ https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/cc%3A114 |
| Summary: | David Neel, born in 1960, is a professional photographer as well as a hereditary Kwakwaka'wakw artist. He works in a number of mediums including wood sculpture, photography, printmaking, and painting. He specializes in traditional mask about contemporary history, and photography of people for commercial, editorial, documentary, and fine art use. He is also a writer and a lecturer. Neel draws on his Kwagiutl heritage for his artistic direction. He inherits his name Tlat’lala’wis’ and a rich artistic heritage from his father, David Neel Sr. His father, a Fort Rupert (Tsaxis) Kwagiutl, was taught to carve by his mother, Ellen Neel (who was taught by her maternal grandfather, Charlie James), and her uncle, Mungo Martin. Neel uses the work of his ancestors as the starting point for his own interpretation of carving and design. Neel studied in Kansas and later moved to Dallas, Texas, where he had the opportunity to work with some of the country’s top photographers. He returned to Vancouver in 1986. His images appear in magazines and posters, as well as in museums and galleries in the United States and Canada. Influenced by the “concerned photographer” such as W. Eugene Smith and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Neel uses his photography, sculpture, serigraphs, and writing to comment on today’s issues. ARTIST INFO: http://www.davidneel.com/biography.php (Accessed January 3, 2017) NOTE: See “Sisters recall the brutal last day of Oka Crisis,” from “Unreserved” with Rosanna Deerchild, September 20, 2015, for CBC coverage featuring Waneek Horn-Miller and Kaniehtiio Horn 25 years after the standoff (http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/reflections-of-oka-stories-of-the-mohawk-standoff-25-years-later-1.3232368/sisters-recall-the-brutal-last-day-of-oka-crisis-1.3234550 Accessed July 30, 2016). See "National Aboriginal Day: stories of resistance, resilience and heroes" from “Unreserved” with Rosanna Deerchild, June 18, 2017, for an interview with David Neel discussing his artistic practice and the influence of his grandmother, Ellen Neel (http://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/national-aboriginal-day-stories-of-resistance-resilience-and-heroes-1.4164805 Accessed June 20, 2017). DESCRIPTION: Photo silkscreen diptych in red, black, and white inks. The left side of the diptych depicts 14-year-old Waneek Horn-Miller holding on to her 4-year-old sister, Kaniehtiio Horn, after being stabbed with a bayonet and restrained by Canadian military personnel near the Kanesatake treatment centre as they attempted to leave the standoff in Oka, Quebec on September 26, 1990 (the last day of the standoff). The original photograph was taken by Ryan Remiorz of the Canadian Press and featured widely on national news coverage. The right side of the diptych features a selection of quotes by First Nations leaders and Canadian politicians regarding the “Oka Crisis.” TEXT ON PRINT READS: There is no questions that we have won. We have acquired an awareness among the public. We can now talk without bureaucrats sweeping issues like land rights under the rug. - FRANCIS BOOTS, MOHAWK. Maybe I’ve been too busy doing my job to get out and communicate as effectively as I should have. - TOM SIDDON, FEDERAL INDIAN AFFAIRS MINISTER. They forced the barricades up because they weren’t listening to our voices. We were forced to defend ourselves and to defend our territory. We have every right to do what we did - ELLEN GABRIEL, MOHAWK SPOKESPPERSON. This is the price of inaction and refusal to deal with an issue which then becomes a crisis. - FRANCIS DUFOUR, PARTI QUEBECOIS. In the eyes of the world we have shown Quebeckers are among the most civilized and passive people, like no other in the world. - ROBERT BOURASSA, QUEBEC PREMIER. The police on the bridge told us to get back in our cars, close the windows, lock the doors and drive as fast as we could. A chunk of concrete nearly the size of a soccer ball smashed through the window behind me and landed on my father’s chest. There was glass in his socks, in his hair. He was bleeding all over. - MOHAWK STONING VICTIM. They think they can crush the native movement with the military or the police. - GEORGE ERASMUS, ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS. It was horribly brutal. You can’t really judge what’s going on through television reports. Experiencing this disgusting scene really opens your eyes. - JOHN KIM BELL, CANADIAN NATIVE ARTS FOUNDATION. There is no doubt our relationship with Native people will have to change and that the policies, especially federal policies on land claims, will have to be modified. - JOHN CIACCIA, QUEBEC INDIAN AFFAIRS MINISTER, Every first nation in the country maintains that our sovereignty is not fully extinguished. - GEORGE ERASMUS, ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS. In the end, firmness, patience, and concern for human life have won the day. - BRIAN MULRONEY, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA. 1991 Purchased for the Camosun College Art Collection by the Camosun College Cultural Enhancement Committee directly from artist. Robbyn Lanning |
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