Critical Land (2021)

From January to June 2021, I produced four episodes of an English-language podcast for the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, debuting along­side its exhi­bi­tion, “Magnetic North: Imag­ining Canada in Painting 1910-1940.” The exhi­bi­tion, co-orga­nized by the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada, exam­ines modern Cana­dian land­scape painting from a contem­po­rary stand­point. “Magnetic North” comprises 90 paint­ings and 40 sketches from the Group of Seven, a collec­tive formed in 1920. It also features works from Algo­nquin-French artist Caro­line Monnet and Anishi­naabe film­maker Lisa Jackson. The podcast, Critical Land, draws from some of the themes in “Magnetic North” and goes beyond what is displayed on the gallery walls through inter­views with Indige­nous artists, activists and scholars.

Episode 1:In the first episode of Critical Land, I talk with a Lakota-Scot­tish professor in Canada whose research and teaching focuses on contem­po­rary Indige­nous art history and with the curator of “Magnetic North” about the chal­lenges of presenting the Group of Seven to German and Euro­pean audi­ences for the first time. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 1:

In the first episode of Critical Land, I talk with a Lakota-Scot­tish professor in Canada whose research and teaching focuses on contem­po­rary Indige­nous art history and with the curator of “Magnetic North” about the chal­lenges of presenting the Group of Seven to German and Euro­pean audi­ences for the first time. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 2:In the second episode of Critical Land, I’m joined by Algonquin-French artist Caroline Monnet, whose short film, “Mobi­lize,” is part of the “Magnetic North“ exhibition. Her immer­sive video instal­la­tion, “Transat­lantic,” is also on view in the publicly acces­sible Rotunda. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 2:

In the second episode of Critical Land, I’m joined by Algonquin-French artist Caroline Monnet, whose short film, “Mobi­lize,” is part of the “Magnetic North“ exhibition. Her immer­sive video instal­la­tion, “Transat­lantic,” is also on view in the publicly acces­sible Rotunda. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 3:In the third episode of Critical Land, Jocelyn Joe-Strack, a leader in the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, explains why she calls herself a “scientist in recovery” and what’s missing in debates about climate change. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 3:

In the third episode of Critical Land, Jocelyn Joe-Strack, a leader in the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, explains why she calls herself a “scientist in recovery” and what’s missing in debates about climate change. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 4:In the fourth and final episode of Critical Land, Cree writer Jessica Johns tells me about her experiences in academia, the process of working on her debut novel and what it means to implement anti-oppressive practices into editing. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.

Episode 4:

In the fourth and final episode of Critical Land, Cree writer Jessica Johns tells me about her experiences in academia, the process of working on her debut novel and what it means to implement anti-oppressive practices into editing. Illustration (c) Oriana Fenwick.