kayla bellerose (bb iskwew)
About the Artist
Kayla Bellerose (bb iskwew) is a sakâw nehiyaw and Métis iskwew (Bush Cree and Métis woman) multi-disciplinary artist from Slave Lake in Treaty 8 territory, with family ties to Bigstone Cree Nation and Sawridge Cree Nation. The stylistic linework of plant life throughout bb iskwew’s work is rooted in learning cree plant knowledge and is influenced by her family’s beadwork designs and stories. Through the mediums of muralism, beadwork, illustration, and photography, bb iskwew hopes to share visual medicine with the world and contribute to a collective healing and restorative future. Themes portrayed throughout bb iskwew’s murals are rooted in matriarchy, mother earth, and stories shared with her from the community.
Maskihkîy of Metamorphosis
Churchill Square
Kayla Bellerose (bb iskwew), Maskihkîy of Metamorphosis, Archway Left Side Day Scene, Mixed Media on Vinyl, 2023
ARTIST STATEMENT
A healthy humanity is dependent on a healthy land. How we treat Mother Earth - our external environment reflects how we treat our internal environment as human beings. Butterflies are a sign of healthy biodiversity and they support the abundance of native plants, and will attract native bees and birds. In this piece there are native plant medicines local to Alberta, such as the woodland tiger lily, wildrose, and fireweed. Maskihkîy is a word for medicine in the nêhiyawêwin language, meaning a gift that has spiritual healing power. I see butterflies as a symbol for transformative healing amongst the land, and the butterflies' process of metamorphosis is an inspiration speaking to our own ability to heal and transform ourselves as human beings. The land can heal us if we ask her.
Remember Spirit
In Rice Howard Way Alley next to Craft Beer Market building (10013 - 101A Ave)
