Join us for a collage party led by artist Manuel Axel Strain, whose exhibition xʷəlməxʷ child is on view at The Polygon until May 11. In xʷəlməxʷ child, Manuel Axel Strain draws on Musqueam, Secwépemc, and Syilx ways of knowing, and the discipline of Western psychology. Compositing theories of mind from across their different cultures, Strain imagines the perspective of a child who contemplates the world from beyond these existing frameworks. Through figurative paintings, transformed into pictographs and set against photographic murals, Strain’s work proposes a way of seeing that suspends judgement and challenges divisions such as past and future, old and new, self and other.

Doors at 6:00pm

Collage party begins at 6:30pm

RSVPs are appreciated

Admission is by a suggested donation of $10-$20, courtesy of BMO Financial Group

About Manuel Axel Strain
Manuel Axel Strain (b. 1990) is a 2Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw, and Syilx peoples, based in the sacred homelands of their q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen) relatives. Creating artwork in collaboration with and reference to their family, shared experiences become a source of agency for Strain. They perceive their work to confront and undermine the imposed realities of colonialism, proposing a new space beyond its oppressive systems of power. Strain was recently featured in the Vancouver Special exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery (2021), longlisted for the 2022 Sobey Award, and was a 2022 recipient of the Portfolio Prize.

Banner Image: Akeem Nermo