Jeff Thomas is a nationally recognized photo-based artist, writer, and curator living in Ottawa, with work featured in major art collections in Canada and the United States.
In his work, he examines historical and contemporary views of Indigeneity and addresses the impact of issues such as urbanization, land ownership, and historical ways of representation.
The exhibition The Indigenous Map Maker’s Room shows work from his larger series, Indians on Tour, which features Indian figurines posed in front of national landscapes and monuments. In his photographs, Thomas reframes the stereotypical representation of the figures, presenting them as tourists in a contemporary environment, challenging preconceptions of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous history.
“His work presents re-contextualized historical images of Indigenous Peoples in a contemporary environment,” Latcham’s CEO Margaret Wallace said. “Bringing Jeff Thomas’s work to Latcham Art Centre is such an important opportunity to acknowledge Indigenous history.”
The exhibition runs October 30 to January 2 at the Latcham Art Centre. The opening reception takes place November 5 from 7 to 9 p.m.
For more information or to register for the opening reception, visit www.latchamartcentre.ca.
Image: Wolf Head in the Map Maker’s Room – Ottawa, ON, 2012. N45 24.648 W75 42.694. Image courtesy of the artist.
