In 2001, Alexis Macdonald Seto created a limited edition artist’s book with the title “Let’s Find Out About Indians”. This artist’s book is inspired by a children’s textbook circa 1962 discovered in an old book sale. Reacting to the schoolbook’s simplistic statements, an artefact of the school system, the artist didn’t stop thinking of her own family photos. By pairing the texts in the book with her own family photos rather than the kitschy, outdated images of “Hollywood Indians”, Seto provides a more accurate picture of the history, life and complexities of a family of Aboriginal descent. Identity develops within the intimate sphere of personal relationships. Taking on persistent clichés, Alexis Macdonald Seto’s subtle humour elegantly and generously reveals some of the authentic events marking her personal history and where one can discern the distinctive markers of her identity as a First Nations woman.
Let’s find out about indians (detail)
Alexis Macdonald Seto