Indigenous culture focus of Dakimi/To Have Land art exhibit at Riverdale Hub Gallery

Local Indigenous artist Amber Smith-Quail is hosting a solo exhibition this month and next at the Riverdale Hub Gallery in East Toronto.

The exhibition is now open and will continue until Oct. 6.

The Riverdale Hub Gallery is located at 1326 Gerrard St. E., and hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays to Saturdays.

In her artist’s statement, Smith-Quail said the Dakimi/To Have Land exhibition is rooted in her personal experiences and memory of Indigenous culture.

“When reflecting back on my lifelong artistic journey I can see how the body of my work has evolved organically. A common thread of relationship and identity connects the pieces together. My works are sometimes situational, often inspired by personal ruminations over familial stories or reclamation of traditional knowledge, but always rooted in the blood memory of my Indigenous culture,” she said.

Smith-Quail”s bio lists her as an off-reserve member of the Alderville First Nation. She “navigates a unique dual lineage; her father was Anishinaabe, while her mother is descended from Scottish and English settlers.”

An artist’s reception and talk at the Riverdale Hub with Smith-Quail is slated for this Saturday, Sept. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m.

The reception coincides with events surrounding Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. The day was established as part of the Call to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which called on the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, to create a statutory holiday recognizing survivors, their families, and communities while ensuring the history and legacy of residential schools are publicly remembered.

For more information on the Dakimi/To Have Land exhibition, or to register to attend the Sept. 26 reception and talk, please go to https://riverdalehub.ca/gallery-event-registration/#close