"dear fellow settler colonizer," A Minus Plato broadcast. Episode 4
"dear fellow settler colonizer," is a Minus Plato series, rebroadcast on Broken Boxes for STTLMNT Digital Occupation as resource archive directed towards education of settler ancestors who may like to more relationally engage with work created by and centering Indigenous artists, such as with the STTLMNT project.
“The show will explore the transformative work of contemporary global Indigenous artists from the explicitly problematic perspective of the settler colonizer. By critically examining our complicity in ongoing structures of colonial violence, the show offers tools for settler colonizers to engage with Indigenous artmaking beyond positions of exploitation, appropriation and other harmful moves to innocence.” - Minus Plato
"This episode will discuss approaches to curriculum for global Indigenous arts from within and beyond the settler institutions of the university and the museum. In addition to an ongoing conversation on this topic with Cannupa Hanska Luger, concept artist of STTLMNT: Indigenous Digital Occupation, the episode centers on a narrative by Jaime Morse, educator for Indigenous Programs and Outreach at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Focusing on her experience as an educator at the two large-scale exhibitions of global Indigenous art, Sakahàn (2013) and Àbadakone (2019), Morse describes the work of Sámi architect and artist Joar Nango (Sámi Architectural Library, 2019) at the latter as a space of gathering and knowledge exchange, not only for other artists in the exhibition, but also for Indigenous community members. At the beginning and end of the episode are two spoken word pieces by writer, artist and curator Taqralik Partridge, of Inuit, Scottish and Canadian heritage: ‘Decolonisation is a Pyramid Scheme’ and ‘Untitled’. The former was included in a TV show created by Joar Nango and Ken Are Bongo called Post-Capitalist Architecture TV for Bergen Kunsthall, while the latter was included in NIRIN: 22nd Sydney Biennale, curated by Brook Andrew. ‘Untitled’ was originally written following a performance by Indigenous Brazilian artist Denilson Baniwa in Toronto and Partridge agreed for it to be included in today’s episode with a request for donations to support the South American Indigenous Network Emergency Fund – here is the link to donate: www.gofundme.com/f/south-american…k-emergency-fund " - Minus Plato
Episode Image: detail of AKA by Mata Aho Collective (used with permission of the artists), installed at Àbadakone at the National Gallery of Canada, 2019 with text in Pueblo typeface by Vier5