Sweetgrass And Honey Analysis

Skeena Reece’s Sweetgrass and Honey depicts the changing motion of Indigenous people in society. The exhibit was available from Jan 19th 2018 to March 18th 2018. It is located in the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The exhibit is an arrangement of Reece’s previous and current artworks put together, curated by Jenifer Papararo. The exhibition engages with the whole unit of the art gallery; using both the enclosed and the showcase rooms. The exhibit is accessible as a walk in gallery and also, an installation could be viewed from the outside through the windows. The exhibit is striking in a way that certain elements caught my attention; to further understand the messages and emotions Reece implies in the surface of
For instance, before walking into the gallery, an animation of digital photographs titled We Still Know serves as the narrative exposition; an introduction of peace and calmness. The animation acts as the “calm before the storm” as the narrative moves toward a rapid motion of scenes soon after I walk into the gallery. There, I am greeted with the mural titled Stekyawden Syndrome. The dominating mythical goat creature depicted in the mural faces forward, towards the furthest wall. Therefore, naturally, I followed the direction of the creature. The mural also covered the entire right-side wall in which developed a sense of journey. Walking alongside the long stretch of wall resulted in an incline of energy similar to the “rising action” of a narrative structure. Furthermore, the climax was introduced as I saw the door to the next room. It was the moment of the turning point; the uncertainty of what was on the other side. Though, the climax swiftly ended as I recognized the installation, Access Denied. The “falling action” of the narrative structure was presented by the artworks on the left-side wall such as Un-Entitled that gradually created calmness in the room. The denouement of the narrative structure is portrayed by the outside, frontal view of Access Denied. The complete view of the installation became the ending; providing
The ability to emotionally connect with the “characters” of the story is equally as important to understanding the narrative. First, the right-sided wall of the first room is painted of a vibrant yellow. Such colour provoked a sense of cheerfulness and energy. I felt happy for a moment, however, the intensity of the yellow dominated in which created a forceful energy that resulted in myself becoming uncomfortable. I feel that such intense colour implied the energy of stereotypes and racial events that took over the jubilance of the Indigenous people. Another example is, the deep burgundy colour of the furthest wall created fear. I felt lost and heavy within the depth of the colour itself. The fear of being alone; as to an Indigenous woman would have felt surrounded by the unaccepting society that surrounds her. Both intense colours captivated the viewer into the personal perspective of the Indigenous people