Wendy DesChene

Li Bufloo, 2023

Giclee on Hahnenmuhle William Turner Watercolor Paper

18 x 24 inches; framed: 20 x 28 inches

Courtesy of the artist

www.wendydeschene.ca

Canadian-born Wendy DesChene graduated with an MFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art and immediately incorporated materials to support activist-inspired works. Weary of limitations placed on art, she invited audiences to participate in installations. The outcome was a community collaboration titled WYSIWYG that toured to 11 different communities, including the Houston's Art League, Minnesota University, the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and The Henry Street Settlement, NY. Other collaborative-based projects exhibited at the Soap Factory, Tomio Koyama Gallery Japan, and The Drawing Center New York. Recent environmental educational outreach titled PlantBot Genetics, has been awarded NEA and Pulitzer Foundation Grants for programs at Bach Modern Austria, the New Gallery Canada, and Marfa Dialogues St. Louis. Recently the Boston Globe titled her a conceptual prankster for collaborative projects at HubWeek sponsored by Harvard and MIT. Due to racist laws in Canada, DesChene's family has only recently been able to reclaim their indigenous status in the Metis Nation. As a large part of being First Nations is finding a path back to one's ancestors, this artwork focuses on reclamation and reinvestigating what it means to be indigenous. Digital Paintings, allow First Nations Imagery to overtake and disintegrate classical European Landscapes.