Visual Arts
Peter Pelchat
Crisis

Selfportrait with small Canadian flag. A look at my own identity as a metis (French canadian/Cree native) I wanted to show where I am situated within these two races/culture. Sometimes I feel lost but I know for certain I am Canadian.
Crisis
Peter Pelchat, 2003
Mixed media/collage, 15x 20"
Thumbnail of Children at her Feet Thumbnail of Crisis Thumbnail of Generations of bingo players Thumbnail of We are not hares Thumbnail of Family Reliquary Thumbnail of Family Reliquary
Thumbnail of Chisasibi under a low sky Thumbnail of Dark cloud, red cloud Thumbnail of This is Me Thumbnail of Woman napping Thumbnail of Family Reliquary Thumbnail of Family Reliquary

Crisis

“This painting/collage is about my identity or the discovery of my identity.It took me many years to figure out who I am. Was I cree, white, or something in between. I found out that I was truly "metis" in my heart. This painting is a representation of who I am. The painting can be divided into 3 parts vertically: The left side shows that I am not a Native (represented by the 3 native dancers with an x painted over them) The word “Nimwii” (which means no ) written over a red rectangle states that I am not a native. The only thing that identifies me as a native is the depiction of a goose on the upper left corner with 3 vertical strips that stand for the number 3 shows the number of geese I have killed at the time the painting was done.
  The middle part of the painting depicts me the way I see myself: The flag shows that I am certain that I am canadian. The “boussole” is a symbol of my interest for adventure and discovery.
  The tree bark( which I glued) symbolises my strong roots (appreciation) to my culture and traditon.
  The right side of the painting shows that I am not a white man: the word “not” written over a white boz means exactly that. The Pac-man eating the dots upward stands for what I feel about the white man: they consume or exploit whatever is on their path. The constellation of the big dipper drawn in reverse of the actual constellation is an example of my interest in the white man's sciences. the reason I draw the big dipper in reverse is to tell the viewer that the sciences do not have all the answers in life.
 The background: It shows the union of the native side of me(brownish colour) and the white man side of me (pinkish colour) They are held together by a thread that I have sewn into the paper. The black thin line in between these two colours symbolizes my past and the dark times when I felt lost with no sense of identity.”

P. Pelchat