FAQ | LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

This project aims to amplify the incredible work that Indigenous futurists are doing to reclaim their identities and futures through visual art. It aspires to share the stories and perspectives of Indigenous artists who are re-defining art and pop culture, decolonising spaces and amplifying Indigenous ways of knowing.

I was entirely unaware of Indigenous futurism until the opportunity arose to complete this project, but I am so incredibly thankful that it did. Upon exploring this social and artistic movement, many of the works challenged my perceptions on pop culture and mainstream discourses that I have been engaging with my entire life. I used to watch many science fiction films and tv-shows with my dad, and had never once percieved the parallels between reality and those fictions until learning about Indigenous futurism and it's intentions.

Pop culture and media have persistently excluded and depicted Indigenous people either as archaic or entirely extinct, and this movement directly contests those potrayals by re-asserting Indigenous survivance into mainstream spaces. Learning about tools such as 'slipstream,' worldbuilding, science fiction and anthropological First Contact scenarios, I learned about how Indigenous communities construct self-determined representations and alternative narratives about their identities and futures. The idea of contesting the contemporary world and what constitutes reality/modernity is an important tool that Indigenous futurists are using to decolonize art and pop culture.

I decided to create this website as a means by which to visually exhibit the work of Indigenous futurists who challenged my perceptions of Indigenous realities, and even my own identity and the ability to re-define existence and the future of this world. I was really struck by the manner in which they were reclaiming historically degrading narratives by co-opting them and infusing them with their Indigeneity. I hope this project will adequately uplift the work of these Indigenous artists and promote discussion about Indigenous expressions of futurity and how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies can move into a more inclusive and equitable future.

I cannot say that one artist's work had more of an impact that the others given the unique personal experiences and worldviews that are imbued into each individuals art. Something that particularily struck me, however, were the particular perspectives and artistry of Wendy Red Star.

As you can see in the exhibit, her work is striking and evocative, and it caught my eye when exploring the unique works of many Indigenous futurists. As she places herself as the focal-point for several pieces, she challenges perceptions that society/people have been attributed to her and seeks to reclaim agency over her person. Her approach amplifies the beauty of culture and identity, whilst also contesting narratives that diminished Indigenous existence. I have seen these harmful images and heard the disparaging narratives, and they are sadly the ones that still imbue many aspects of our society today.

Red Star takes these narratives and turns them into something other, something real. In her work on "Four Seasons," she dons her traditional attire and situates herself within this faux-reality, one manufactured to keep Indigenous people (both physically and culturally) extinct. To have herself centre-frame, animated and vibrant, she contests this extinctionist discourse and reasserts the existences of Indigenous peoples into the contemporary reality.

As a non-Indigenous person myself, I want to make sure that my narrative does not overpower that of Indigenous people. In creating this exhibit, I sought to amplify the challenges, experiences, perceptions, and artistry of Indigenous futurists. All of the information that this exhibit features is sourced from Indigenous people and their definitions/approaches on futurism.

In the world of art and media, one way that people can support Indigenous futurists is by engaging with their work to educate ourselves on Indigenous perceptions of futurism, sharing what you have learned with others by directing them to these Indigenous artists, and further (if you have the means) by purchasing their works.

You can find more information and resources about Indigenous futurism in the ABSTRACT section of this site!