The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art announced today that it will present a solo exhibition by Indigenous designer, artist, and activist Sho Sho Esquiro.

The exhibition, titled Sho Sho Esquiro: Doctrine of Discovery, will run from September 22, 2021, to June 5, 2022, and will showcase the Vancouver artist's meticulously crafted couture gowns, raw textiles, paintings, and photographs.

“This powerful and vital exhibition of contemporary fashion sheds an urgent light on the devastating impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery, an international law which influenced European settlers to believe they had dominion over the lands and Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere,” says curator Miranda Belarde-Lewis in a press release. “Through Esquiro’s artful storytelling using a variety of materials, including those sustainably sourced from her Yukon homelands, visitors are asked to confront and learn about challenging truths in Canadian history that still have catastrophic consequences to this day.

"These truths showcase how systemic and structural racism caused persistent and deliberate Indigenous rights violations," adds Belarde-Lewis. "Given the ongoing recovery of Indigenous children at the sites of former residential ‘schools’ coupled with the ongoing fight against corporate extraction of natural resources, Sho Sho Esquiro: Doctrine of Discovery shares a critical perspective on the lived experiences of First Nations communities in unexpected ways.”

For more info on Sho Sho Esquiro: Doctrine of Discovery visit the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Art website here.