REFUSE(d): Candace Lipischak
Reception: Friday, July 4th, 5-9 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, July 12th, 1-3 pm
Livestream Link: https://youtube.com/live/mHtJb...
Rust and regeneration. Everything breaks down in time, even steel.
The materials in REFUSE(d) are from Candace Lipischak’s farm in rural Manitoba. They carry memories of ancestors who planted seeds to keep their spirit and teachings alive for us today.
By re-fusing artwork into what’s been left to rust, like the sheet metal, discarded oil barrels, and antique farm tools found on most Métis family farms across the prairies, the intergenerational stories of resilience and resistance are encouraged to grow.
REFUSE(d) explores themes around breast cancer, MMIWG2S, Truth and Reconciliation, and kinship. Lipischak looks towards the land she’s on for inspiration and strength. These subjects invoke strong emotions that are reflected in the complex composition of the pieces, inviting reflection and connection to our own sources of strength.
Refusing the historic and contemporary efforts to destroy Indigenous communities, Lipischak draws connections between treaties, residential schools, and Catholic harm in Métis communities. Instead, their art points to what continues: language, kinship, ceremony, and care.
Like rust returning to the earth, this process is slow but certain – creating fertile soil for the seeds of the future to grow.
Candace Lipischak
Candace Lipischak is a bilingual 2S French-Métis/Polish artist from Treaty 1 territory, currently residing in Otterburne, Manitoba.
Living with Multiple Sclerosis and PTSD, she is an autodidactic artist; working in illustration, graphic design, painting, sculpting, and antler carving. Their art focuses on using discarded material and giving new life to antique objects. Her work sheds light on environmental and social issues, consumerism, the land, truth and reconciliation, and nature’s powerful force.
Founded in 2015, Candace is the owner of Fat Daug. Mentored by her father Larry, they create unique pieces of hand carved antler jewelry and beadwork.
Candace’s works are part of local and national collections, including TDS Law and Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. (Winnipeg), the Canadian Coast Guard College (Nova Scotia), the town of Niverville (Manitoba), the City of Burlington (Ontario), Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada HQ (Ottawa) and Rideau Hall (Ottawa).
Since 2014, Candace has been facilitating arts and cultural workshops and sharing their knowledge of Métis culture and traditions in schools and communities across Canada.