About AFH
This audio is from our virtual studio visit with artist Braxton Garneau in conversation with Aukje Kapteyn, and was originally recorded on February 25, 2021 over Zoom. Video episodes are available on the AFH website.
About the artist
Braxton Garneau is an emerging artist from Amiskwaciwâskahikan ‘Edmonton’ on Treaty 6 territory. In 2020, He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in intermedia at the University of Alberta. His practice is rooted in an exploration of familial and collective histories.
Garneau primarily works in painting, installation, and printmaking, often distilling his own research through a combination of these methods. He has participated in several group exhibitions including Nice to Meet You in FAB Gallery at the University of Alberta, 5 Artists 1 Love exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta, and most recently It's About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900 - 1970 and Now at the Mitchell Gallery.
About the work
This is not a body of work. This is a collection of creative exercises; a response to a series of moments than have given me peace over the past several months. I needed to do something that was disconnected from the responsibilities of my regular practice. I needed to do anything other than obsess over the ever-growing list of racial injustices or confront my anxieties around the COVID-19 pandemic.
Making this series of facetime portraits was a creative way for me to self soothe. I began using video calls as references for these tiny family portraits, which reflected the dimensions (13.5cm x 6.5cm) I was becoming accustomed to viewing my family members at. The noticeable distortions from a phone camera lens became a motif throughout my portraits and emphasized this abstracted nature of “face to face” communication. These mini paintings became a way for me to create and connect without having to actively engage with the circumstances of 2020.
About the co-host
Aukje Kapteyn is a 72-year-old woman whose chosen career has been working with First Nations communities as a counselling therapist for the past 32 years. She is mother of three children and grandmother of seven. She is the oldest of a family of eight children and immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands with her family at age 12. She was raised surrounded by an extended family of talented musicians, photographers, artists and writers. While appreciating music and art, her own preferable medium is writing. She has published poetry, feature articles, and stories. Her work in First Nations Communities has given her deeper insight into the long-term effects of colonialism, racism and threat of cultural demise. She has written poetry and articles to reflect this. Strong family ties have superseded the far-flung distance of siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. Family gatherings have nourished the creativity, playfulness, humour, and tenacity of family members to pursue their own dreams.