Manuel Strain is an interdisciplinary artist of Musqueam, Simpcw and Syilx descent. Strain works with painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, textiles and video installations and seeks to use lived experiences to inspire social and political change in Canada and deconstruct colonialism. Strain was raised in the suburban neighbourhood of Maple Ridge with little knowledge of what it meant to be a person of First Nations descent. This upbringing lead them to examine the construction of First Nations identities – in particular the internal conflicts that arise from imposed identity constructs. Their practice confronts the legacies of colonization that have been left upon the identities of the First Nations people of Canada.
Strain plans to use the Artist in Residency Work Studio opportunity to celebrate and recognize the Indigenous lands, knowledge and language, and its relationship and interconnectedness to the people of Maple Ridge, non-Indigenous and Indigenous alike. In addition, their vision for this residency is to create a body of work that is centered on a unique intersection of Indigenous arts, language and knowledge, diversity and environmental issues while simultaneously touching upon themes of storytelling and heritage.
