About the Exhibition

“Dakiimi / To have land”

An Exhibition by Amber-Smith Quail
Dates: September 16th – October 6th

Opening Reception:
Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2pm–4pm
Artist talk: 3pm

For more information, contact gallery@riverdalehub.ca.

Exhibition Statement

Iconography in Western culture has been a central theme in my visual arts practice. Familiar household archetypes, reimagined through an Indigenous lens, invite the viewer to consider alternate truths from those of the dominant culture.

An off-reserve member of Alderville First Nation, Amber’s practice is based out of Tkaronto and South Algonquin. In her current solo exhibition, Dakiimi / To have land, the iconic board game, “Monopoly” serves as the both the anchor and spark for reflection on land theft and greed. The game Monopoly’s objective, to acquire all the land and force others into a state of poverty until they are no longer able to participate, draws strong parallels to our shared history, namely, the acts of colonial violence that are rooted in an insatiable appetite for land & natural resources. These ideas are amplified through a vibrant combination of beadwork, mixed media pieces and paintings.

Artist Bio

Amber Quail anchors her practice in Toronto and South Algonquin. As an off-reserve member of Alderville First Nation, Quail navigates a unique dual lineage; her father was Anishinaabe, while her mother descended from Scottish and English settlers. This ancestry has deeply influenced both her personal and artistic worldview. In her early memories, Quail recalls household politics, the negotiation of space between two nations and the firm, determined push for the survivance of the last remaining pieces of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. As a young one, Quail felt torn between these two legacies; both included and excluded.

In her practice, Quail intentionally braids traditional and contemporary methodologies. She balances conventional fine art mediums like acrylic paint and glass beadwork with an expansive use of found and salvaged materials, including birch bark, pine needles, and paper bags.

Through this, her work examines deeply rooted themes of kinship, identity, and blood memory. Often sparked by personal reflections on familial storytelling or the reclamation of traditional knowledge. Quail views art as medicine, a vital conduit for interrogating complex questions and a dynamic catalyst for community dialogue.

Central to her journey is the creative and ancestral knowledge shared by her family and mentors, including Miranda Blazey, Jarvis Nahdee, and the late Jay Bell Redbird.

Quail’s work has been exhibited widely in galleries and cultural spaces across Ontario, including the Dignam Gallery, Cobalt Gallery, The Rogers Legacy Space, the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and SKAUT Design.

ARTIST STATEMENT

“When reflecting back on my lifelong artistic journey I can see how the body of my work has evolved organically. A common thread of relationship and identity connects the pieces together. My works are sometimes situational, often inspired by personal ruminations over familial stories or reclamation of traditional knowledge, but always rooted in the blood memory of my Indigenous culture.”