Artworks by Martin Akwiranoron Loft

 

You are cordially invited to an exhibition, courtesy of  Elizabeth McKenzie Shemilt Fund

           

                Artworks by Martin Akwiranoron Loft

                                                     

                                           

Martin Loft is was born in Kahnawake, Mohawk Territory in 1960. He is a photographer, printmaker, and craftsperson. He was a founding member of the Native Indian Inuit Photographers’ Association (NIIPA, 1985-2000), an influential indigenous artists’ organization that presented Visions, the first international Indigenous photography conference and touring exhibition. Martin has exhibited his photography, traditional crafts, and prints nationally and internationally at such venues as at the National Museum of the American Indian, Museum of Civilization, Iroquois Indian Museum, Mashantucket Pequot Museum, McCord Museum, and the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic, which recently hosted the On the Paths of the Iroquois exhibition. Since 1988, Martin has been worked in his community of Kahnawake and is presently Public Programs Supervisor at the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center, where he coordinates community outreach activities, including culture and history workshops, conferences, art workshops, and visual arts exhibitions. Martin has a strong interest in Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) language and is a graduate of the Ratiwennahnirats Mohawk Immersion. He is presently producer of a Mohawk language talk show featured on K103 FM and streamed live weekly. He is a proud supporter of language revitalization throughout all of the Mohawk Nation and has represented our Cultural Center’s language programming at numerous language revitalization conferences and symposia.

Statement from the artist 

My art is a reflection of who I am as an Indigenous person (Kanien’keha:ka). As an artist, I strive to incorporate the iconography, teachings, and themes as a source of inspiration for my artistic production in a modern setting. I believe each image is a spark of creativity revealed in a tangible form….an artifact representing my personal truth and journey. Whether I am working in the medium of photography, printmaking, silver-smithing, or digital arts, I strive to represent this aspect of myself through creativity, cultural reflection, and historical concerns.

 

                      8 - 22 March 2018
               Loggia of Stauffer Library

                          
 Exhibition is part of LLCU 295: Contemporary Events and Indigenous Cultural Politics, led by Dr. Isabelle St-Amand

                                                  

                             ALL WELCOME