NEW YORK, NY.- Artist Jordan Bennett’s monumental work was a phenomenon when it was first installed in Brookfield Place Toronto. Renowned for Artifact Bags installation at The Museum of Capitalism along with Ketu’elmita’jik, the Canadian-born, Nova Scotia-dwelling artist draws on themes of ancestral and contemporary traditions.

From world famous museums to individual installations, NYC has always been a canvas for mass-scale art works by artists with something to say. Jordan Bennett’s installation in Lower Manhattan’s Brookfield Place is a testament to the significance of sparking important cultural conversations through public work. Created in 2018, Tepkik is inspired by Mi’kmaq, the word for “night” in Jordan’s native language. Originally from Newfoundland, Canada, Jordan draws on his Native heritage to guide his work. This expansive installation reflects on the idea of storytelling, and uses a combination of unique materials to portray different elements of visual culture.

In Brookfield Place New York, Tepkik takes on new meaning, as it speaks to the longstanding, complex, and ever-evolving social dynamics of Native American communities. In its new location, Tepkik functions as a public installation, welcoming visitors to Brookfield Place and connecting its diverse audience. Jordan incorporated 3M Diamond Grade reflective on aluminum, as well as printed polysilk fabric to show the ebb and flow of time, the motif of storytelling and the importance of perspective. Tepkik is a suspended site-specific installation that intersects the artist’s Mi’kmaq ancestral and contemporary traditions.

Tepkik is on display beginning July 9 until September 6 at Brookfield Place.

Jordan Bennett is a Mi’kmaq visual artist from Stephenville Crossing, Ktaqamkuk (Newfoundland). He lives and works on his ancestral territory of Mi’kma’ki in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia with his partner in life and art Amy Malbeuf. Jordan's ongoing practice utilizes painting, sculpture, video, installation, public art and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting, familial histories and challenging colonial perceptions of Indigenous histories 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 90 group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, as well as created numerous public art commissions. He has been the recipient of several awards and honours most notably short listed for the 2018 Sobey Art Award, long listed for the 2016 and 2015 Sobey Art Award, a Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL award and presented with the 2014 Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Councils Artist of the Year. Bennett holds a BFA from Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University and an MFA from The University of British Columbia, Okanagan.