This past week I spent five days in Winnipeg installing an exhibition at Urban Shaman. I am pretty excited about showing both in Winnipeg and, particularly, at Urban Shaman. As both an Indigenous and artist-run center, Urban Shaman is one of the very few spaces for the exhibition of contemporary aboriginal art in North America. According to the Urban Shaman website: “Established in 1996 as an Aboriginal artist-run centre, Urban Shaman: Contemporary Aboriginal Art (US) is designated for the exhibition and discussion of contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit art. US holds a vital position as one of only three Aboriginal artist-run centres in Canada and exists as a key voice in the regional, national and international discourse surrounding contemporary Aboriginal art.”
Thanks to all the rad people in Winnipeg, especially Jenny Western (curator), Kevin Lee Burton (programming director), and Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (director).
PROVISIONAL
Dylan Miner
March 25 – April 30, 2011
Urban Shaman Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Nothing stays the same; everything is provisional. From the seemingly never-ending specter of capitalism to the ongoing encroachment of Indigenous territories by settler society, these parallel moments will eventually meet their end.
With a nod to Louis Riel and the Métis provisional government that he helped establish in 1869-1870, artist Dylan Miner uses ‘provisional’ as the starting point from which to interrogate the transitory nature of politics, knowledge, borders, people, identity, history, sports, masculinity, and gender.
Borrowing from a multiplicity of sources, Miner’s artwork considers momentary lapses that could potentially change at any minute. As our respective understanding of the past changes, so do these miniscule utterances appear locked within a specific time and place. “Provisional” looks backward to move forward in a pre-figurative and unending movement into the future.
Curated by Jenny Western