Featured artist Manuel Axel Strain invites local artists and cultural workers into a collaborative and reflective gathering at the Gallery. This informal series blends thoughtful conversation, community insight, and hands-on experiences, offering participants a chance to engage directly with the artworks and each other in a welcoming, interactive setting. Whether you’re an artist, art lover, or simply curious, come explore the exhibition in new ways.
Limited seating—RSVP appreciated.
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/art-talkback-series-with-zoe-kompst-manuel-axel-strain-tickets-1712237320919?aff=oddtdtcreator
Session 3: Zoe Kompst, Musqueam Artist
Join Musqueam artist Zoe Kompst for an engaging evening that looks at the exhibition through the lens of Indigenous traditions and everyday connections to the land. Learn how natural materials like plants and minerals are used to make dyes and paints, and how these practices carry stories and cultural meaning. After the talk, participants will get to try making their own natural paints using tools passed down through artist Manuel Axel Strain’s family. No art experience needed—just curiosity and a willingness to get hands-on.
About the Presenters:
Zoe Kompst is a two-spirit youth from the Musqueam First Nation, living in Vancouver, BC. They grew up in the States away from their community and culture and has been reconnecting for the past ten years. They have always been a creative person, and in the past few years they have been combining their creativity with their culture. Through various mediums—beads, cedar bark, and natural dyes—Zoe’s work brings traditional Coast Salish materials together to create contemporary wearable or decorative pieces. Through their art, Zoe aims to understand and connect to the land that they and their ancestors come from.
Manuel Axel Strain (pronouns they/them) is a 2-Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw and Syilx peoples, based in the sacred region of their q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie) and qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen) relatives. Strain’s mother is Tracey Strain and father is Eric Strain, Tracey’s parents are Harold Eustache (from Chuchua) and Marie Louis (from nk̓maplqs), Eric’s Parents are Helen Point (from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) and John Strain (from Ireland). Although they attended Emily Carr University of Art + Design they prioritize Indigenous epistemologies through the embodied knowledge of their mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents and ancestors.
Creating artwork in collaboration with and reference to their relatives, their shared experiences become a source of agency that resonates through their work with performance, land, painting, sculpture, photography, video, sound and installation. Their artworks often envelop subjects in relation with ancestral and community ties, Indigeneity, labour, resource extraction, gender, Indigenous medicine and life forces. Strain often perceives their work to confront and undermine the imposed realities of colonialism. Proposing a new space beyond its oppressive systems of power. They have contributed work to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Surrey Art Gallery, the UBCO FINA Gallery, were longlisted for the 2022 Sobey Award and were a recipient of the 2022 Portfolio Prize.
Artist website: Home | manuelaxelstrain
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This free public program is made possible from funding by the 2025 City of Richmond Arts & Culture Project Grant.
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