TORONTO.- Tepkik, a 100-foot long site-specific sculptural work by visual artist Jordan Bennett, graces the Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place Toronto from July 30 to August 24, 2018, with a striking visual representation of the intersection of Mi’kmaq ancestral and contemporary traditions. Shortlisted for the 2018 Sobey Art Award, Bennett finds inspiration from images and stories created by the practice of artfully removing rock to create a petroglyph. Tepkik draws on the Mi’kmaq petroglyph that depicts the Milky Way, which has been found on the rocky shores of the lakes and rivers at Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia.

Bennett’s work employs both large printed fabric panels and highly reflective surface elements. The piece creates a link to Mi’kmaq ways of being and understandings of our known universe by presenting a visual conversation exploring Mi’kmaq creation stories.

Jordan Bennett’s largest piece to-date, the sweeping, colourful Polysilk fabric panels used in Tepkik will transport visitors into the realm of the night sky, bringing the stars and stories of our galaxy into view at any time of day. The installation title, Tepkik, is a Mi’Kmaq word for “night”, reflecting on the time that allows us to see astronomical elements such as constellations and the Milky Way and the stories that correspond to these elements. Historical references to the sky, land, and our galaxy are illuminated by Bennett’s bright treatment of colour, both traditional and pop, as well as his interpretation of Mi’kmaq quillwork patterns and motifs. By employing new materials in his art practice, Bennett has given a new forum for these oral traditions to be told and shared. Using over 200 ft of Polyskilk fabric and custom reflective vinyl typically used for road signs, Bennett uses contemporary materials to evoke cultural markers of the past.

Jordan's ongoing practice utilizes painting, sculpture, video, installation and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting, familial histories and challenging colonial perceptions of indigenous histories, stereotypes and presence with a focus on exploring Mi’kmaq and Beothuk visual culture of Ktaqamkuk. In the past 10 years Jordan has participated in over 75 group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. He has been the recipient of several awards and honours, a Hnatyshan Foundation REVEAL award, presented with the 2014 Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Councils Artist of the Year and named as one of the artists in the 2014 Blouin ARTINFO's Top 30 under 30 in Canada. Most notably he has been long listed for the 2015 and 2016 Sobey Art Award, and is shortlisted for the 2018 Awards. Jordan is currently partnering with IOTA: STUDIOS, and working on several projects including various artistic collaborations, public commissions and exhibitions, including a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.