MONTREAL.- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts presents Meryl McMaster – In Between Worlds, as part of MOMENTA | Biennale de l’image (formerly Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal). This is a first-time presentation in Quebec of In-Between Worlds (2015) and Wanderings (2010-2015), two series by the indigenous Ontario photographer.

In her photographs, Meryl McMaster portrays herself in an imaginary world where she explores the challenging feelings that arise from her pluralistic heritage: Cree from the Great Plains, member of the Siksika nation, Canadian and European. Borrowing from sculpture and from performance, she integrates costumes and accessories as talismans. Her fantastical universe evokes childhood, the animal kingdom and myths related to indigenous culture.

In the Wanderings and In-Between Worlds series, McMaster employs a plethora of props – clothes, jewellery, talismans – which become extensions of the body and lead to a telescoping of identities. She positions herself in the middle of nature, considering the landscapes and the seasons as part of a cultural context in which myth and narration come together. These different images, which are so many portraits, may be interpreted as parables.

“For this fall, I wanted to turn our attention to several indigenous women artists, with a program under the title Artist. Woman. Indigenous. The season begins with the captivating work of Meryl McMaster, at the intersection of photography, dance and performance. We follow the path of Not all those who wander are lost (J.R.R. Tolkien). In nomadic visions from history, voyages of initiation, a return to the earth and a manifesto for self-determination, her poetic self-portraits are stunning in their beauty,” said Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator of the MMFA.

“By means of photography and performance Meryl McMaster explores the identity of First Nations and their cultural context. Examining her own heritage – Indigenous and Euro-Canadian – through portraiture and self-portraiture, she surveys self-construction through lineage, history, and culture.” explained Ami Barak, guest curator of the 15th edition of MOMENTA.

“This is the first time the two series will be interwoven in the same exhibition. This curatorial decision reflects the link the photographer makes between these two personal corpora as points of entry not just to her individual identity, but to her storytelling and history,” said Diane Charbonneau, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Decorative Arts and Photography at the MMFA.

Artist. Woman. Indigenous. Showcasing contemporary women’s art
This fall the MMFA is highlighting indigenous women artists through exhibitions or acquisitions of their work, under the programme Artist. Woman. Indigenous. This cycle highlights the work of Meryl McMaster, as well as Nadia Myre, with Scattered Remains (November 15, 2017 to March 4, 2018); Eruoma Awashish, Meky Ottawa and Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush, with the immersive installation Kushapetshekan/Kosaptcikan: An Otherworldly Spy (September 2017 to February 4, 2018); and Meky Ottawa and Jani Bellefleur-Kaltush, through the presentation of works recently acquired by the Museum. Artist. Woman. Indigenous. follows in the line of She Photographs (2016) which brought together 70 works by 30 contemporary photographers from here and abroad, and Her Story Today (2015), which presented the work of six contemporary Canadian painters.