In the Shadow of the Eclipse

September 21, 2024 – March 16, 2025

Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, ON

Featuring artists Elizabeth Doxtater, and artists in the collection: Charlie Fleming, Jack Goldstein, Samwillie Itukalla, King Kavavow, Josephine Kokseak, Joannepanie Kolola, Arthur McKay, Ray Mead, Moses Meeks, Moses Mannumi Shaqu, Jutai Noah, Daniel Nookiguak, Paulousie, Johnassie Takallak, Takao Tenabe, Wen-Ying Tsai, and Robert Emile Varvarande.

For a brief moment, the sky went dark, the wind calmed, and the birds became silent. We paused to honour Grandmother Moon and the Eldest Brother, the Sun. As Grandmother Moon visits the Sun, she reminds us of the accountability we hold to one another and the importance of acting with care. 

On April 8th, 2024, the moon obscured the sun’s light and the path of totality passed over Hodinöhsöni’ homelands, now known as Southern Ontario and Upper New York State. It has been told that the Hodinöhsöni’ Great Law of Peace was formed during a total solar eclipse approximately 1,000 years ago.  

The exhibition In the Shadow of the Eclipse amplifies the message of peace through the lens of the Hodinöhsöni’ Great Law of Peace and the Story of the Peacemaker. The path of the eclipse mirrors the Peacemaker’s journey to unite the Hodinöhsöni’ Nations and spread the message of great peace. In the Shadow of the Eclipse aims to revitalize our collective sense of reverence and bring our minds together as one. 

For this exhibition, I engage with the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s permanent collection to explore the intersections of peace, grief, love, and loss, and our responsibilities as we move into the future together. Through personal reflections on the teachings and practices of peace, I aim to create spaces that restore balance to ourselves and our connection with the natural world.  

Exhibition documentation by Joseph Hartman

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