Image courtesy of the artist.
Exploration of cultural identity. This is how Tanya Zilinski’s voyage with loom beading tapestries emerged. Colour, materials and textures are guided by spirit; their hands flow with direction of that which cannot be seen but is there in celestial essence and in Tanya’s reality. Tanya Zilinski uses traditional loom beadwork for the purpose of passing on cultural knowledge, language, oral stories, for a spiritual connection to their Ancestors and as a daily tincture to cure the body and mind. Tanya Zilinski has developed their own methods and techniques through experimentation for creating large loom beaded tapestries that unite two cultures, complimenting one another, for the next seven generations and beyond of community and family. Tanya is at oneness while they are creating, and this process has gifted them a new perspective on life. It is with great gratitude that Tanya acknowledges this canoe journey has guided them to a good place and the Ancestors will continue paddling alongside them to help navigate through the waters.
In this series, Tanya Zilinski is exploring three meanings of Transcendence. The physical meaning, the philosophical meaning and the spiritual meaning of the word. This series is comprised of eight ultra-contemporary, abstract loom beaded tapestries, each measuring approximately 21 by 34 inches, and a sculpture made from a vintage HBC blanket, antique trade beads, modern Czech seed beads, and canadian currency with a concealed message only visible in certain lighting conditions. In addition, as an Indigenous artist, the tapestries will be sewn onto British Melton wool as an act of resistance and reclamation. In doing so, it is an expression and a symbol of decolonizing Tanya’s pieces, therefore taking back their power from the colonial regime that largely supports the white settler colonial narrative.
All the tapestries are created with one hundred percent trust in the process alone, with chaos theory in mind, delving into the multifaceted meaning of transcendence. Even though the pieces do not follow a specific pattern, the rule of fractals still applies. Fractals are hidden, repeating patterns that are all around us. We may not notice them, but we are innately attracted to them
transcendence (n.) / trænˈsɛn dəns / c. 1600, from transcendent + -ence, or else from Medieval Latin transcendentia, from Latin transcendentem. Related: Transcendency.
One thing Tanya has found in their research is that numerous artists and philosophers have researched the meaning of Transcendence and come up with their own conclusions. The general consensus is that transcendence is a good thing. In this series Tanya only presents their own perspectives and includes Indigenous perspectives on the meaning of the word.
Viewers are invited to experience each of the pieces in their own way by searching for patterns in seemingly chaos, focusing on colours and using their imaginations, transcend, what they see and feel. The audience will be encouraged to come back on multiple occasions, at their own leisure, to see if they experience or imagine anything new and share their perspectives in a journal made available at the gallery.
On May 30th from 6-8pm, join us for an opening reception featuring light snacks and refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.
This project was made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, to whom the artist extends their sincere gratitude.
Tanya is a person who is a visual artist, a Halq'eméylem teacher, and is the Matriarch of their family. They are a member of The Red River Nation in Manitoba with maternal family and ancestral ties to Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, and Huron Wendat Nations throughout Turtle Island's Plains and Great Lakes regions and is Ukrainian paternally. One of their traditional names is Speplól, which means Little Crow and was a name given to them at the age of fourteen.
They were born and have lived their entire life on the stolen lands of the Chowethel people, Ts'qó:ls, which is the Halq'eméylem name for what is known to settlers today as “Hope, B.C”. Their medium is traditional Indigenous loom beadwork and the retelling of oral stories and teachings through patterns laid out on beadwork tapestries. They were taught to loom bead at 15 years old by a Stó:lō Elder in their community at Chawathil First Nation. Speplól has developed methods and techniques for creating large loom beaded tapestries made from tiny glass seed beads.
Speplól is connected to the Stó:lō community in the Teltíyt Tribe area through unification of the last 32 years, six children, and grandchildren. They have both training and permissions from Elders and community members to teach the language and culture of the Upper River Stó:lō people and is a certified teacher of the BCTF currently teaching the language and culture for School District 78 Fraser Cascade.