Otipemisiwak Fantasy / Opening Reception
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Otipemisiwak Fantasy by Riel Starr is exhibiting in The New Gallery’s Main Space from October 23rd – December 12th, 2026.
Opening reception: October 23rd, 2026, from 6:30 to 9pm
Riel Starr will give an exhibition tour, starting at 6:30PM.
In Otipemisiwak Fantasy, Riel Starr explores Métis culture through an Indigiqueer perspective. Starr unapologetically conceptualizes Métis futurism through traditionally crafted contemporary objects in order to honour their own personal connection to their culture, the land, and the survivance of historical Two-Spiritedness.
Read More: https://thenewgallery.org/Otipemisiwak-Fantasy-Riel-Starr
Riel Starr descends maternally from Métis families from the historic Red River Settlement and Batoche, notably their Berthelet ancestors were community leaders in Pointe à Grouette and their Caron ancestors fought in the Northwest Resistance of 1885. They were born in Amiskwaciywâskahikan, Edmonton, Treaty 6 territory and have been residing in Mohkinstsis, Calgary, Alberta since 2020. They introduce themselves in this way, the traditional way of the Métis to contextualise their knowledge and experiences and situate themselves on this land. Their recent body of work explores and honours their Métis two-spirited, transsexual personhood and challenges settler-colonial understandings of these intersecting identities through a sculptural practice engaging with themes of site specificity, local history, and past and present ways people engage with the land around them by revealing overlooked or hidden histories. They open conversations and opportunities for critiquing power structures using humour, performance and performative objects, orientation devices and material culture.
Accessibility Notes: https://thenewgallery.org/Accessibility
Image: Otipemisiwak Fantasy. Riel Starr. Photo courtesy of the artist.
The New Gallery
208 Centre St SE
T2G 2B6 Calgary, AB
Opening reception: October 23rd, 2026, from 6:30 to 9pm
Riel Starr will give an exhibition tour, starting at 6:30PM.
In Otipemisiwak Fantasy, Riel Starr explores Métis culture through an Indigiqueer perspective. Starr unapologetically conceptualizes Métis futurism through traditionally crafted contemporary objects in order to honour their own personal connection to their culture, the land, and the survivance of historical Two-Spiritedness.
Read More: https://thenewgallery.org/Otipemisiwak-Fantasy-Riel-Starr
Riel Starr descends maternally from Métis families from the historic Red River Settlement and Batoche, notably their Berthelet ancestors were community leaders in Pointe à Grouette and their Caron ancestors fought in the Northwest Resistance of 1885. They were born in Amiskwaciywâskahikan, Edmonton, Treaty 6 territory and have been residing in Mohkinstsis, Calgary, Alberta since 2020. They introduce themselves in this way, the traditional way of the Métis to contextualise their knowledge and experiences and situate themselves on this land. Their recent body of work explores and honours their Métis two-spirited, transsexual personhood and challenges settler-colonial understandings of these intersecting identities through a sculptural practice engaging with themes of site specificity, local history, and past and present ways people engage with the land around them by revealing overlooked or hidden histories. They open conversations and opportunities for critiquing power structures using humour, performance and performative objects, orientation devices and material culture.
Accessibility Notes: https://thenewgallery.org/Accessibility
Image: Otipemisiwak Fantasy. Riel Starr. Photo courtesy of the artist.
The New Gallery
208 Centre St SE
T2G 2B6 Calgary, AB
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Where is it happening?
208 Centre St. SE, Calgary, AB, Canada, Alberta T2G 2B6
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherThe New Gallery
