Olivia Whetung is a contemporary artist, printmaker, writer, and member of the

Curve Lake First Nation Curve Lake First Nation ( oj, Oshkiigmong) is a Mississauga Ojibway First Nation located in Peterborough County of Ontario. Curve Lake First Nation occupies three reserves; Curve Lake First Nation 35, Curve Lake 35A, and Islands in the Trent ...

and citizen of the Nishnaabeg Nation.

Education

Whetung completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in

Anishinaabemowin Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous language o ...

at Algoma University. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Work and exhibitions

Whetung is known for her use of printmaking, digital media, beadwork, and topographic forms to discuss issues of Indigenous land and

food sovereignty Food sovereignty is a food system in which the people who produce, distribute, and consume food also control the mechanisms and policies of food production and distribution. This stands in contrast to the present corporate food regime, in which ...

, knowledge transfer, language, and environmental stewardship. Whetung has collaborated with

Jeneen Frei Njootli Jeneen Frei Njootli is an interdisciplinary Vuntut Gwitchin artist known primarily for their work with sound and textiles, performance, fashion, workshops, and barbeques. Work Njootli is a co-creator of the ReMatriate Collective, a group wor ...

on several projects and presentations, and wrote ''Fugitive Dust'' to accompany Frei Njootli's solo exhibition, ''I Can’t Make You Those Mitts Because There Is a Hole in My Heart and My Hands Hurt'' (2018) at Artspace in Peterborough, Ontario. In 2017, Whetung had a solo exhibition at Artspace called ''tibewh''. Whetung's work is part of the travelling exhibition, ''Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts''. The exhibition was curated by

Candice Hopkins Candice Hopkins (born 1977) is a Carcross/Tagish First Nation independent curator, writer, and researcher who predominantly explores areas of indigenous history, and art. Early life and education Candice Hopkins was born 1977 in Whitehorse, Yuk ...

and Dylan Robinson. The exhibition asked the question, “how can a score be a call and tool for decolonization?” A cumulative, changing exhibition, ''Soundings'' “shifts and evolves, gaining new artists and players in each location.” ''Soundings'' was exhibited at the

Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The gallery is housed in an award-winning building designed by architect Peter Cardew and o ...

, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Gund Gallery at Kenyon College, Agnes Etherington Arts Centre, and Kamloops Art Gallery. In 2019 to 2020, Whetung's solo exhibition, ''Sugarbush Shrapnel,'' was shown at the

Contemporary Art Gallery A contemporary art gallery is normally a commercial art gallery operated by an art dealer which specializes in displaying for sale contemporary art, usually new works of art by living artists. This approach has been called the "Castelli Method" ...

in Vancouver, British Columbia. Whetung considered "her own connections to the complex ecosystem of her home on Chemong Lake, Ontario, particularly the importance of food sovereignty and the fragility of symbiotic relationships in an era of accelerating climate change and environmental destruction.” This exhibition travelled to the Campbell River Art Gallery, from September to November 2020. Whetung's work was part of the group exhibition, ''Beads, they’re sewn so tight'', which was curated by Beausoleil artist and curator Lisa Myers, and shown at the

Textile Museum of Canada The Textile Museum of Canada, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a museum dedicated to the collection, exhibition, and documentation of textiles. History The Textile Museum of Canada was founded as the Canadian Museum of Carpets and Textiles ...

and

Thunder Bay Art Gallery The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is Northern Ontario's largest art gallery specializing in the work of contemporary Indigenous artists. It is located on the campus of Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is ...

in September 2019.

Awards

In 2020, Whetung was awarded the Ontario Arts Council's Emerging Artist Laureate Award. The Ontario Arts Council's Aboriginal Arts Awards “recognize the achievements of rising Indigenous artists and artistic leaders who have contributed to the arts in Ontario.” Whetung was the 2018 recipient of the

John Hartman John Hartman (March 18, 1950 – September 22, 2022)MacLaren Art Centre The MacLaren Art Centre is an art gallery and museum, located in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It is named in honour of Maurice MacLaren, who bequeathed his Victorian home, Maple Hill, to the Barrie Gallery Project in 1989. The MacLaren Art Centre l ...

in Barrie, Ontario.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whetung, Olivia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century First Nations writers Algoma University alumni Canadian contemporary artists First Nations artists Mississauga people University of British Columbia alumni First Nations women artists

Education

Work and exhibitions

Awards

Further reading

References