“I’m interested in diverse layers of communication; paradoxically, of the wordless as an entity—by which I mean, torn from the Tuscarora or Mohawk languages of my traditional belonging, I am presented with a void in my practice. Yet I carry a reciprocal responsibility to knowledge, so returning to Six Nations as a participant in the land and an observer of its latent meanings, I have acquired a new enthusiasm through a de-essentialized process—of image gathering and being in a state of constant reflexive return. The dissociation brought about by my dilemma becomes a wandering with purpose that allows the gleaning of images and events as evidence stored within the land. Once this evidence is picked up, I then decode and present what a wordless trauma would look like.

Dissimilar images can also reveal unexpected affinities, as if they shadowed one another.

I exist within the process of transforming belonging by way of selecting more complex images that challenge essential thinking. The images here are of deep personal connections to family, land, and systemic deficits that continue to exist. Working through personal condolence countervails the dragging of an ancestral presence, which casts a traumatic shadow. The idea is to recognize that trauma precipitates a transitional stage of change.”

- GREG STAATS

This exhibition features two new series of photographs by Staats, untitled [1969], 2021 and darkling ease, 2021, as well as the installation dark string, 2010.

In his video installation dark string, Staats emphasizes the restorative nature of the good mind, a central tenet of the Hodinöhsö:ni’ worldview. A string of wampum is filmed and projected onto the gallery wall. The wampum—made of dark purple quahog shell beads—functions as a codified mnemonic device in Hodinöhsö:ni’ condolence ceremonies. Here, it exists in an electronic feedback loop activated through its own image and witnessed by visitors. By animating the wampum in this way, Staats highlights its role in elevating the mind and re-establishing peace for those grieving the loss of a family member or title holder. The video energy of the wampum reflects collective and individual requickening (a life-giving, restorative process), and reinforces the Hodinöhsö:ni’ worldview, which encompasses the creation story, original instructions, and the annual cycle of ceremonies of thanksgiving.

Greg Staats, Skarù:reˀ / Kanien’kehá:ka, Hodinöhsö:ni’, was born in 1963, in Ohsweken, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Ontario, Canada.

Greg Staats acknowledges the support of: The Ontario Arts Council and The City of Toronto through Toronto Arts Council.