Exploration of Resilience and Resistance is about identity, culture, strength, vulnerability, and love- these images are about resilience and resistance. Witnessing different facets of people and how they explore themselves, I photograph my community of primarily indigenous and mixed heritage people to challenge pre-conceived notions of race, gender, and sexuality. With the work, I touch on how we can become more empathic, empowered people despite the hardships that we have endured. Every photograph, every person, has a story to tell, and I am supporting them to tell these stories through their portrait. I invite the viewer to recognize the different sides of these stories, including the pain but most of all, the person’s spirit and perseverance.

Too often Indigenous, (mixed) women and non-binary communities are not heard of seen as we define and experience ourselves in society. I am working to redress this by creating images of contemporary Indigenous people from an Indigenous, supporting out society to shift away from the narrow perspective from which violence for women and non-binary communities often stems. I want to show the general public who we are today; to bring light to our stories and create a space for us to be seen and heard as we define ourselves and make it clear how we want to be represented. This is the driving for behind An Exploration of Resilience and Resistance.

When I photograph an individual, I aim to create the most honest image of them. I believe that each image that is made is a collaboration between the person I am photographing and myself. I wouldn’t be able to create the images I do without trust, which is an essential element of my work, each photography session I collaborate on gives a safe space for the individual to be seen, heard and documented the way they want to be represented. Many of our relatives were and continue to be inappropriately photographed and misrepresented. I am working to redress this from behind and in front of the lens by creating images of contemporary Indigenous and mixed people from an Indigenous perspective. Thought the timeless lens of the tintype, and in collaboration with the sitters, the relationship between the process of creation and the person being photographed records our current experiences, from an Indigenous perspective and honours our resilience.

I want to extend my deep gratitude to everyone involved with the project.