https://www.urbanshaman.org/exhibitions/refused/

RIFUZ(d)/REFUSE(d): Candace Lipischak
July 4 to August 30, 2025

Reception: Friday, July 4th, 5-9 pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, July 12th, 1-3 pm
Livestream Link: https://youtube.com/live/mHtJbHRmQm4?feature=share

English

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.