TOB TOB KIN
Paula Ducharme
The Cube
September 16 to December 30, 2023
In a new body of work called Tob Tob Kin, Paula Ducharme, a recent Thompson Rivers University Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate, fuses traditional and contemporary materials and ideas to explore her Indigenous ancestry. This work emerges from Ducharme’s reconnection to her mixed cultural heritage as a Birdtail Sioux First Nations and settler artist. Her research is immersed in Lakota oral traditions and the study of Lakota stellar theology, a world view that connects humans, animals, the land, and the cosmos. The exhibition title refers to the “4 times 4,” a system that describes the Lakota hierarchy of the 4 groups of 4 cosmic forces of good. According to Lakota oral traditions, the interplay of these 16 forces come together to comprise the material world.
Ducharme’s wall sculptures interpret the first group of superior powers, including Wi (Sun), Skan (Sky), Makan (Earth) and Inyan (Rock). From these 4 powers the hierarchy branches out to tell the story of creation and its ongoing evolution. Integrating natural materials including leather, feathers and fur sourced in Lakota territory from her homelands in Manitoba with traditional beadwork techniques, Ducharme’s work brings together tradition with contemporary practices. The resulting work honours cultural traditions and history while acknowledging the continuing evolution of a living culture.
A member of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation in Manitoba, Ducharme lived in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia for most of her life before moving to the Interior of BC. She currently lives in West Kelowna. Ducharme received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Thompson Rivers University in 2023. Her art practice has focused on reconnecting with the lands and traditions of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation through mixed media sculpture, sound, and video.
Generously sponsored by Wilson M. Beck Insurance Services Inc.
Maka, 2023
hardboard, acrylic paint, high-gloss varnish,
turkey feathers, floral sticks
114.3 x 27.9 cms
